06/04/2026
A helpful read from Dentlerโs Dog Training.
One of the biggest shifts we can make for dogs is asking, โWhat is this behavior telling us?โ before jumping straight to, โHow do we make it stop?โ
A dog who barks, lunges, growls, or panics on leash is not being stubborn or dominant. They are communicating. Many dogs are scared, overwhelmed, or trying to create more space from something that feels unsafe.
And when people are living with stressful behavior, it makes sense to want fast answers. They are trying to get through walks, keep everyone safe, and do the best they can with the information they have.
That is exactly why the tools and methods we choose matter. Training affects more than the behavior we see on the outside. It can also affect how dogs feel, what they learn, and whether they experience their person as a source of safety.
This connects to a bigger conversation weโve been having at Blue Skies: dogs are domesticated, but they are not decorative.
Most dogs today are companions, not working. But that does not erase their needs, instincts, energy, emotions, stress signals, or limits. If anything, it increases our responsibility to provide the outlets, enrichment, guidance, and care they need to live well in the world we have placed them in.
When we understand behavior through that lens, the path forward gets clearer. The goal is not to blame people for needing help. It is to choose training that helps dogs feel safe enough to learn and gives families skills they can use.
Kindness is not the soft choice. It is the responsible one.
Training should help dogs and their people understand each other better, not make either side feel more afraid.
Related read from us:
https://blueskiespetcare.com/domesticated-not-decorative-what-dogs-really-need-from-us/
๐๐๐๐: ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐'๐ก๐ก ๐จ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ. ๐๐๐๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ค๐ง๐ช๐ข. ๐๐ฉ ๐๐จ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ง๐ข๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐ช๐ง๐ฅ๐ค๐จ๐๐จ. ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐ค ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ง๐ข๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐, ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ'๐จ ๐๐๐ฃ๐, ๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ฃ'๐ฉ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐. ๐๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ ๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ. ๐๐๐๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ฅ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ค ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ก๐๐๐ง๐ฃ ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ, ๐ ๐๐ช๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ, ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ค๐.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ง๐ผ๐ผ๐น๐
I just returned from a consultation with a large breed dog that is reactive to other dogs. As a puppy she was happy and friendly around other dogs, but after being attacked by a dog at the dog park at 8-months of age her fear and anxiety about unknown dogs began.
Yes, fear and anxiety. Not because she is dominant. Not because she is protecting the owners. Not because she is a jerk. Because she is scared.
Most reactivity is driven by fear (an immediate, automatic emotional and physical response to a known, present, or definite threat) or anxiety (a lingering feeling of nervousness or worry about a potential, unknown, or imagined threat). The displays of barking, lunging, and growling are attempts to keep the other dog (or stranger/child/trash truck/etc.) away from them. The owners have watched TV shows, videos, and read articles about how to โfixโ their dog, and over the past several months have accumulated quite the collection of dog training โtoolsโ that have not worked. In fact, her behavior has gotten worse. Why?
These tools (choke, prong, and shock collars) work through pain and fear rather than learning. Pain and fear create anxiety, causing dogs to associate walks, training sessions, their owner, or other people or dogs with that pain, creating a never-ending loop of lasting fear and anxiety.
Beyond the physical and emotional harm, these tools share a deeper problem: they suppress behavior without addressing the underlying cause. This leads to:
Redirected aggression โ a dog startled or hurt by a correction may lash out at nearby animals or people - even the owner - since it can't identify the true source of pain
Learned helplessness โ some dogs become shut down and stop engaging with the world, which looks like "calm" but is actually distress
Relationship damage โ the dog may learn to distrust the person applying corrections
A dog thatโs not โfixedโ โ suppressed behaviors will resurface because they are never actually eliminated, only temporarily hidden, until the dogโs internal stress threshold is crossed, often manifesting as sudden, explosive reactions or escalating into aggression because the dogโs emotional state was never truly resolved
The research is consistent when it comes to aversive training methods, with studies having found that dogs trained with aversive tools show more stress behaviors during and after training, correlating with higher rates of aggression, anxiety, and fear compared to reward-based (positive reinforcement) training. Organizations like the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, and the ASPCA all recommend against their use.
The cost of aversive training tools? To a dog, it can be astronomical. To us, it was $140. Through our Swap & Save program we discount the training package fee by $20 for every device traded in. So yes, in this instance we are out $140, but assuring the dogs under our care and supervision are trained with humane, ethical, and effective methods is worth every penny.
https://www.dentlersdogtraining.com/blog/cost-of-aversive-training-tools
