When someone gets a new puppy they usually have one major goal: to raise a healthy and friendly adult dog that can go all sorts of adventures with them. This goal can lead to a lot of stress and feeling of failure on the part of the owner when dogs inevitably end up being imperfect (as we all are). Sometimes the struggles are normal puppy development (hard mouthing, eating things they shouldn’t, ignoring a recall, etc) and sometimes these struggles are the development of serious behaviour issues.

There are so many reasons why behaviour issues develop including medical issues (often missed!), trauma, owner anxiety or skill set, breed specific behaviours, dog specific behaviours and other people’s in a dog’s life. There’s only so much we can actually control and it’s often not the well meaning owner’s fault when a dog has issues.

When you’re struggling with behaviour issues with your dog it’s incredibly important to complete these following steps:

1. Seek a veterinarian who has skill in diagnosing physical ailments that may present with only behaviour issues as symptoms. A Veterinary Behaviourist is more likely be helpful in this case but you can definitely start by speaking to your regular Veterinarian.
2. Seek out a skilled dog trainer who has experience with the behaviour issues you are seeing.
3. Take a step back and avoid doing the things where your dog’s behaviour is undesirable. For example if your dog is reactive to other dogs take a break from walks around the neighbourhood where this is an issue.

So if we have to take a break from doing activities with our dog to avoid triggers how do we meet their needs? Well this is a great time to explore enrichment activities that will meet your dog’s needs and keep your dog from practising unwanted behaviour.

Fun Things To Do With Your Dog:

Rent a private field for walks. It’s becoming more and more common to see private fields for rent. This means you and your dog can enjoy a walk without any triggers and actually relax. Bonus points for fenced fields where your dog can run off leash and use their body as they like.

Find a canine swimming pool where dogs attend one at a time. Bonus points if you find a pool with Hydro-therapist to do activities with your dog in the water. This is a combination of mental and physical work that will leave your dog feeling satisfied.

Enrol in a dog sport class that is reactive dog friendly. The most common classes for this are Scent Detection but I’ve seen classes for agility, tricks, tracking, disc dog, confidence building and more that are one dog at a time and reactive friendly.

Take hikes in remote areas. I would be prepared with a long line and muzzle (if needed) but tree therapy and moving our bodies in natural environments is a great way for both dog and owner to feel better.

Sniffari’s! These are walks or adventures where you encourage your dog to use their nose. You can set up a sniffari in your own yard if needed by hiding items with either treats or other fun scents associated with them. You can also go to quiet spaces and let your dog sniff out bunnies, squirrels, mice, etc and just have a relax sniff around.

Take your dog on adventures in your car to places. If appropriate people watch while sitting in your truck or out your front window. Share some snacks! (This wouldn’t be the best choice if your dog has barrier reactivity or car concerns).

Rent a training space where you can train agility, play games or teach your dog tricks in peace. Or if you have the space in your home set up weekly or even daily short training sessions where you work on something fun with your dog.

Remember whatever you choose keep your dog’s behaviour concerns in mind with the goal to have fun and take a break from triggers!