dog training, dog trainer Orlando

Are you listening to what your dog is telling you? It is easy to miss all the small stuff as well as what they are trying to say. When a dog is acting out or displaying behaviors that are naughty, they are generally trying to let us know something. Dog’s don’t / can’t express to us that they have something going on the same way that a human can. This is why it is so important to take all the little stuff and paint the big picture!

Let’s use a dog that is getting into things, such as the trash or even getting into your purse and dragging all the contents out around the house. Getting into the laundry basket and leaving a trail of laundry behind him/ her. He/ she will often have spurt of energy or will bring you toys. All of these bad choices is telling you more than he/ she is being naughty. They are telling you that the dog is bored and needs more exercise. A lot of people see good exercise for their dog as going out back and running zoomies or playing fetch with them for an hour.

Yes this does physically get their body moving however it gets their mind going a hundred miles an hour as well. It’s like taking a kid to Chuckie Cheese. You get them playing in the pit of balls, running around playing games so physically they are expanding more energy. However, mentally you are creating more energy. Think of how “wired” they are when they get home. It is almost like you gave them a gallon of Kool Aid with lots of extra sugar. Now think about taking your kid to piano lessons. There is very limited physical excursion, however when they get home they are generally more calm and mentally tired. This is because you exercised them mentally.

What they need is for their physical and mental needs to be met. You can do this with a nice healthy structured walk, or the pace command. When you go for a walk you need it to have rules and limitation. Just like the piano lesson. You can’t go into a lesson and just bang on the keys, you have structure and guidance from your leader/ teacher. On the was you need to get them to a place where they aren’t pulling, marking or up to causing mischief. Instead they are able to relax and focus on you instead of everything else.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t go play fetch, or do fun stuff with your dog. Just take the time to meet both their physical and mental needs. Once you do this you will have a calmer dog, and a better relationship!!