12/08/2026
A while ago, at the end of a session with a new client, she told me she had been really nervous about meeting me. She was worried that I was going to come in and grab her very scared dog, push her too hard and make her do too much too soon. And she was impressed when I didn’t do ANY of those things!
If I had marched into their house, put a slip lead on the very nervous dog, and forced her to go out for a walk (which had been suggested by some other “dog experts”), I would have completely broken the dog’s trust and set her back with her progress. Yes, the dog would have been on a walk, which is the eventual goal, but it wouldn’t have been a nice experience for her, and she likely wouldn’t want to go out again. I would have left my client with more problems than she started with, but hey, I’d have “solved” the problem, right?
If you watch a lot of dog training content on social media, you might imagine that working with dogs is all about quick results, being very hands-on, and fixing everything in one session. It’s so rare that any behaviour issue gets sorted in one meeting, and this is why my approach doesn’t always lend itself to short and snappy videos that can be posted online. I prefer to take my time, assess the dog thoroughly, and then come up with a kind and gentle approach that works for everyone. The dog always comes first, it’s not about meeting our own expectations, or rushing things for the sake of quick fixes (which don’t work by the way).
It was so nice to hear that my client agreed. Welfare always trumps human ego ❤️🐾
