In this article I’m going to explain why i think these things happen and what I do to help the situation

Most people think their dog is abused or something traumatic happened to them. While it is possible and it does happen to a lot of dogs sadly, there is another reason that is very common amongst good dog owners who know for a fact their dog hasn’t been abused.

I remember a got a call one day from a women to evaluate her dog. When I got there I saw a maltese mix. The reason I was there was because the owner was confused about her dogs behavior. She had her dog since 8 weeks and nothing “traumatic” happened to her dog that she was aware of. The maltese would walk around shaking and moving frantically every time she would hear a loud truck go over the speed bump. She would also growl at people sometimes. She claimed that she never hit her or abused her and wondered why she ducked when she lifted hand. After observing the dog for a while I realized what it was. It was the dog’s genetics. I had to explain to her that genetics plays a huge role in dog behavior and she wasn’t the only one who thought this way so there was nothing to be ashamed of. Many people think “poor dog” someone abused you when thats not always the case. I need to mention that it is also your leadership with the dog but that for another conversation.

Before I go into how i go about training with these problems, I want to talk about the 2 types of genetic problems I have experienced.

Environmental:
This is when it’s the environment itself that causes the dog to be shaken up or become defensive(feeling a lack of control). It could be loud noises, different textures of floors, different objects( I trained a dog that would bark at a garbage bag full of trash if it moved with the wind), etc.
Social:
This is when its people or other dogs that cause the dog stress and to become defensive(feeling a lack of control).

Some dogs can have both and also varying degrees.

Now how do I handle this?

Ideally I always want to motivate a dog with rewards.

The problem happens when I have a dog that’s not motivated and won’t take food. This is definitely hard to train, but can improve the dog greatly. You have to first meet them where they are.

I’ll explain it like this, some dogs are motivated by different things like people.

If someone grew up poor and had no money and you are talking to them about these fancy trips you take and all the fancy, expensive clothes you have , they are not going to be able to relate. That is not their reality or their world. They might have a poor mindset and don’t feel that they deserve anything like that. You are not going to convince them otherwise. (I have tried and have learned to accept that everyone wants different things)

So they might be motivated by having to pay their bills on time, whereas someone else might be motivated to create a legacy. One is going toward something the other is running away from something.

But….

If you raise them up to a level that is slightly above their current level it can seem obtainable.

For example, they might be poor with $0 in their account. But if you can get them a job making $60,000 they would be happy. Now $100,000 doesn’t seem that far. Once they get to $100,00 now $200,000 doesn’t seem so far and so on.

When I first meet a dog, i meet them where they are(mentally) and I lower my expectation.

If I have a dog that is nervous in an environment, then I won’t ask them to do any behavior. Just eat food. Do you see how simple it is?

Next after I lower my expectation, I give the dog something more to worry about then the environment.

This is something I work my way up to. I teach behaviors in a sterile environment then I let a dog know that they have to do what I ask. I also have to be reasonable with what a dog can actually do.

My dog needs to have excellent obedience.

I’m talking about correction level obedience

Then when we are in these situations where they don’t care about food and are worried about the environment I can correct them for not focusing on me.

I become more important than the environment.

After their nerves calm down a bit, most of the time they will take the food from my hands and then we can switch to a more reward based training.

Also if you seen the video I posted on Instagram about Baci, I have him tied up and I am playing with another dog. This technique is commonly done in protection dog circles. You tease the dog with the toy object, frustrate them because they can’t get to it, and have them watch as me and another dog enjoy the fun. Once he started to show that he was interested in us playing, I rewarded him with the ball. I want him to shake off that nervous energy and just have fun.

Recap:

Genetics play a huge role in dog’s behavior.
There is environmental and social genetic problems in dogs
When I start to help a dog I lower my expectation and meet them where they are.
I develop a foundation of solid obedience, I correct them for non compliance, then once they start eating food and their nerves calm down, I go to more reward based training.
Using play to bring it out f a dog

That is it. I hope this helps guys. I’m sure there are other ways to do this but this is the way i have done it. If you have questions don’t be afraid to reach out.