Consequences of training mistakes with a highly sensitive, fearful and reactive dog

When you have an anxious dog, you will realize that mistakes can have larger consequences for your dog compared to a more confident and secure dog. Hearing a scary noise or, for some, having an off-leash dog run towards you can set your progress back by weeks. We become scared of going to new places, leaving our dogs alone for any amount of time, and constantly worry about whether our dog is getting all his/her needs met, exercising too much to too little, etc. The list goes on. “Always play it safe” becomes our mindset.

This adds significant pressure on us as we try to get everything right, even things beyond our control. I’ve been thinking about how we can better cope with this stress, and here’s what I’ve come up with:

• Focus on what we can control, and stop worrying about things we can’t (a general reminder for life)
• Understand that constant worry and stress can transfer to our dogs, which is not good for anybody
• Recognize that unexpected events don’t necessarily mean a huge setback; we learn, our pups learn, and we can recover stronger. This brings us to the following, something (in my opinion) is not mentioned enough in the world of dog training:
• 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗴𝘀’ 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 so they can bounce back from stress more quickly. This can be achieved by gradually exposing them to new experiences, allowing them time to think and solve problems in controlled environments, engaging them with puzzle games at home, and empowering them to make their own choices.

So… who else has become an over-sensitive control freak because of their pup? 🙋🏻‍♀️