Dogs Are Pack Animals

Dogs have difficulties facing any life situation alone, as the pack way of life is one of the cores of their being.

This is one of the biggest factors as to why many dogs fail in some situations, both everyday situations and situations in dog competitions.

If there is no relative connection between a dog and handler/owner, or if your dog does not “trust” you, they will end up being affected by stress far more than if you have already managed to create a successful relationship.

Step number one in dealing with environmental stress is to go back to the basics, building a relationship and focus.

One of the rules in dog training is increasing in increments. The same rules apply when you are dealing with any environmental stress situations.

If you hit a point that your dog is uncomfortable or you see that his performance is affected by the environment, go back one step in your training to the area/situations where your dog was comfortable, and then continue from that point.

Forcing your dog will not get you anywhere.

Always remember that you are dealing with an animal that has a totally different view of this world, and he is not capable of learning and handling situations like a human.