What Are You Saying?

"I'm Feeling Relaxed, Normal ... "

My posture is calm and relaxed, just kinda standing around. Please ask my owner before you approach me or pet me, just to be on the safe side.

Yes, one should ALWAYS ask an owner if you can pet their dog. Even when one does, it doesn't always mean that the owner knows how their dog will react.

You have to get to know your dog and what other dogs are saying.

That is why its good to take obedience classes so you can learn what your dog is saying and what other dogs are saying. You will also have a more confident dog and that's a bonus.

Even the most confident dog in one environment may show concerns in others. It all depends on how YOU Handle it on how your dog will ultimately handle 'concerns.

Treasure has had many handling classes, several levels of obedience and is a champion show dog. She's been conditioned to all sorts of environments but I could take her to a bowling alley and her body may shake from concern if she heard bowling balls going crack. It's not something we would have conditioned her to so it would be new to her. That's the point. In life there is always something new but as time goes on, if you do your job right, not coddle and expose productively, those exposures that are new will come with coping skills and trust that you would keep them from harm's way.

So, slow condition and keep at it and you will end up with an amazing dog. We are what we know and that is true of our dawgs as well!