24/04/2025
Absolutely brilliant read. Well worth remembering
'JUST THROW THEM IN AT THE DEEP END! THEY'LL SOON LEARN!'
It's not uncommon to hear the equivalent to this if you own a dog who sometimes barks and lunges from fear.
You know, the 'they need hard lessons' kind of line. Just take them do doggie 'playgroups' or let them off lead with all kinds of unfamiliar dogs if they're scared of dogs...
Treat them like a 'pass the parcel' if they don't like strangers touching them...
In fact, I've even heard some uneducated people try to dress this up in pseudo-neuroscience and say 'the brain needs big prediction errors... the bigger the gap between what they expected and what happened, the more they'll learn.'
Sure. But WHAT are they learning?
That NOTHING they do works? That you are not to be trusted? That their concerns mean nothing to you?
Expectations don't come with neutral arousal and emotion. If our dogs are feeling anxious, if they are concerned that bad things might happen, sure, they MIGHT learn that things weren't so bad after all. Don't get me wrong - I love for dogs to learn that.
But if I can teach that in a way that builds trust, builds skills and builds their confidence, why wouldn't I?
Or do I want their major learning experience to be 'thank f*ck I didn't drown?'
Dogs thrown in at the deep end, metaphorically speaking, don't generally go on to love swimming.
They just go on to be dogs who learn that their own concerns can't be trusted, to do things only for a sensation of relief that it's over, and that there is no point turning to you for support.
