10/29/2026
Today I met “Fancy”. She hasn’t been behaving so fancy though. She has been reactive and trying to bite strangers. Even biting her owner sometimes! With any new person, dog, or situation she becomes controlling. I explained to her owners why she’s doing what she’s doing and how to resolve the problem. Fancy needs to understand that we don’t need her help. We have everything under control and as long as we are calm, she should be calm too. If you look close you can see very minor corrections when she’s trying to go in front of me. She has to see that the walk isn’t hers, it’s ours and she’s along for the ride. Her job isn’t to control or guard us, it’s to trust us and enjoy life. We took the leash from the harness and moved it to her neck for more control and better direction. We also skipped using the muzzle today as it makes her more nervous. Her owners will reintroduce the muzzle the right way so she isn’t anticipating anything “bad” happening. I pointed how all the little times she looks at her owners even for a split second is important and how crucial it is for her owners to keep calm and confident. If I didn’t correct her at all, she would feel in control. If I corrected her too harshly, she would have tried to bite me. Now her owners are off to the right start and they can understand not only their dogs behavior but also their own and how their energy and body language effects their dogs behavior. Off to a great start Fancy!
