12/22/2025
How to train an anxious dog? š¾š„ŗš
I get asked this question frequently and I always ask the owner, think of the most confident person in your life or celebrity/athlete you admire, do you think they became that way overnight? Do you think they became that way because life was always easy and was handed to them? Of course not, they all became confident through trial and error and that is the same with your dog.
Your dog carries thousands of years of genetic make up from ancestors that had to confront many obstacles just to survive just like all wild animals do, through that they became resilient and were able to avoid predators. Todayās dogs are sheltered, hidden from the world and once they do step out to the world for a vet visit, grooming appointment or even a walk around the block then fear is shown and our natural response is to coddle and protect, unfortunately our dogs donāt process emotions the same way humans do. Our dogs are creatures of habit and if your dogās routine isnāt filled with exposure, structure, love and trust then you will ultimately have an anxious dog.
Anxiety and confidence are both learned behaviors, do what Noraās owners are doing and help build your dogs confidence through structured training , itās all about taking it one day at a time and making every accomplishment easy enough so the dog doesnāt shut down, once they conquer a small fear the next one will be much easier.
