Be the place of safety for your dog

I often use an analogy to describe how we, as dog guardians, need to be the safe place for our dogs no matter what is happening in the environment.

Imagine you’re on flight and trouble starts to occur –  turbulence, an engine fire, or a threatening passenger.   When it happens, the actions of the flight attendant is going to be the difference between chaos or a calm/controlled environment.  Even if the flight is going into the mountain side, the flight attendants are trained to be calm and continue to offer reassurance and direction to passengers.  In turn, their behaviour can offer comfort even in the face of imminent death.

 Now apply that to your dog. When your dog is scared, reactive, or overwhelmed, you are the flight attendant. Your dog is scanning your behavior to decide if they’re safe. If you panic, tighten the leash, or react emotionally, their fear increases. But if you remain calm, grounded, and confident, you become their anchor in a moment of distress.

You don’t need to control the chaos—just show your dog that it doesn’t control you.

And when your dog is unsure and displaying signs of fear or worry, you need to reassure your dog without the drama of a high voice, hugging or heavy petting. It’s my belief that this overt reaction (drama) can actually reduce the trust and increase the anxiety in a dog.

So what can do you do when your dog has fear or anxiety or is unsure?  Well, you can reassure them with a verbal acknowledgement.  Look at them and speak to them but don’t drivel on and dilute the calming intention.  You can place your hand on their back or side and speak low and calmly to them and reassure without going over the top with baby talk.   Nothing is served by an over reaction from us but teaching your dog to defer to you gives them a coping method, a way to deal with the situation and the emotions it is causing.

No matter how your dog is expressing itself, never scold, yank the leash, hit or force a sit or down.  Your dog is struggling and needs to know you’ll take care of the situation and of them.  Be your dog’s safe place.