02/11/2026
Why Are So Many Dogs Lacking Resilience? A Behaviourist's Thoughts on Modern Dog Ownership
In the twenty-odd years I’ve been working as a canine behaviourist, the landscape of my job has changed dramatically. Back then, dogs were full of resilience and confidence compared to now. I honestly don’t think we’ve ever had as many anxious and reactive dogs as I see in my daily life today. It begs the question: why are dogs so lacking in resilience now compared to how they were all those years ago?
I believe there are several contributing factors, creating a perfect storm that is depleting our dogs’ ability to cope with the world.
1. It Starts with Breeding
Years ago, dogs were primarily bred for function. Retrievers were selected for their ability to retrieve, and Yorkshire Terriers for their skill at ratting. To be good at a job requires a huge amount of confidence and resilience. Fast forward to now, and what are we often looking for in a dog? Cuteness. We love the dogs that want to snuggle on our laps, the ones that are cosy and clingy.
But that level of clinginess is often directly associated with a lack of confidence and resilience. In fact, clinginess is really just a form of comfort seeking and anxiety. The Cockapoo is probably the most obvious example of this; I don't often meet one that has a lot of confidence, and as a breed, they really struggle with stress and anxiety.
2. The Rise of Quick Fixes and Punishment
Our approach to training has also changed significantly. There seems to be a growing demand for cheap and quick fixes rather than long-term training solutions. With this has come a rise in punishment-based training methods, which are guaranteed to destroy a dog’s confidence. When you start with a dog that already has less resilience to begin with, this becomes an even bigger problem.
We are also relying more on tools and control, and less on teamwork. Building a strong working relationship with your dog through training builds trust and confidence. Instead, we are often managing behaviours with leads and crates, which can lead to immense frustration, and trying to fill behavioural gaps with enrichment toys.
3. The Socialisation Deficit
This is a huge one. Dogs are being socialised with each other less and less. I see it constantly on training sessions—as soon as another dog approaches, owners will put their own dog on a lead and walk away. This is often due to a fear of negative interactions or the "politics in parks" that many of us have experienced.
The consequence is that our dogs are missing out on learning incredibly valuable skills from one another. When dogs play, they are learning and practising essential life skills: hunting, fighting, and essential communication. They rehearse these behaviours in a safe context, which builds an enormous amount of confidence. Knowing you can handle a situation because you’ve practised it with your friends is a massive contributor to resilience.
4. Are We Supporting Our Dogs, or Setting Them Up to Fail?
A dog who feels supported and secure with their person has a huge advantage when it comes to building resilience. That security gives them the confidence to explore, try new things, and step out of their comfort zone. But more and more often, this isn't happening because we are pushing our dogs too fast or allowing them to make mistakes that we could have helped them avoid. We should not be setting our dogs up to fail.
I saw a clear example of this a few weeks ago. A lady was by a lake with her French Bulldog, who was moving towards some swans with their young. Instead of simply moving her dog away from a potentially dangerous situation, she allowed him to get closer and then told me she thought her dog was "stupid" for approaching the family and would "never learn". But how could the dog know the swan was a threat? It was her job to support him and help him make a good choice, not to let him fail and then blame him for being stupid.
A Worrying Trend
When you put all these pieces together, you see a worrying picture. We start with dogs bred for traits that are linked to low confidence. We then use training methods that are not boosting their resilience, rely on unnatural ways to meet their needs, and deny them the chance to learn from their own kind. By the time a dog reaches adulthood, what little resilience they had has often been depleted. Then, these dogs go on to breed, and the next generation starts from an even lower baseline. This is a trend I can only see continuing if we carry on down the same path, if we don't do something about it...
What do you think?
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