Dogs Don’t Follow Uncertain People

If you read online about how to train your dog, you will find hundreds of variations of methods and techniques. If you try to apply some of these techniques while dealing with your dog’s out of control behaviors, you might get frustrated because you don’t see results. So you try something else with similar success (or lack thereof). Maybe you saw a change the first couple times you tried something, but then after that it was like you weren’t doing anything at all. The more techniques you try, the more discouraged you become. You might then read some books… Books that contradict one another and everything you read online. You might even start to think that your dog just can’t be trained. You’re not just discouraged, you are starting to feel defeated.

Does this sound familiar? To many people, a home isn’t a home without a dog in it. Needless to say, I definitely identify with that sentiment. But when their problem behaviors are taking over and disturbing life in general, it is difficult to not let frustration take over. It certainly isn’t a confident builder to try and try again, only to have your dog’s behaviors get worse and worse. Your confidence is shot.

Without confidence, it doesn’t matter what you try – you won’t have success. You have to believe that you will be able to make a change. You can’t just want to stop a certain behavior, you have to visualize what you want instead. Dogs look for a leader to give them guidance. If you don’t believe in yourself or what you’re doing, your dog won’t either. So find a solid, comprehensive plan and believe in the process. It’s so important to be optimistic and driven, because it all comes down to this: dogs don’t follow uncertain people.