Dog Driving You Crazy? Try This ✅

Dogs are challenging. No matter the age, breed, or size of your dog there will be situations and behaviors that will drive you absolutely crazy. And guess what, that's totally normal. I have gone through the ups and downs of being a pup parent in many ways. My wife and I have raised two high-energy Labrador Retrievers, all alongside a Senior Puggle who recently passed away. No matter the age of our dogs, there have always been behaviors and situations that test our patience with our dogs! When moments pop up that test your patience with your pup, try out these 3 things to keep your sanity. #1- Get Some Space As with many things in life, if you try to "fix" a situation in the heat of the moment you'll likely not make the wisest decisions. If your pup is starting to do things and you can feel your patience running thin, take a break. Get yourself some physical distance between yourself and your pup and regroup.  This can be done by putting your dog into a crate (don't use it as a punishment though), in another room, or using a playpen or baby gate. Taking a few moments away from your dog can help you reassess the situation and calm down. #2- Do Something Fun Once you've taken a moment or two of space away from your dog, re-engage with something fun.  You know your dog best, so do something that you know both you and your pup will enjoy. It could be playing tug, throwing a ball, or even some fun (not structured) trick training. For many of us as pup parents, we originally chose to get a dog because we envisioned the fun moments and memories that come with being a pup parent. So, finding a way to reconnect with that "goal" can be a great way to gain your sanity back with your dog. Plus, taking part in a fun activity with your pup will help both of your moods and outlooks on the situation. #3- Make a Plan This is the most important step. You have to make a plan on how you will improve the behaviors that are driving you up a wall. If, for example, you get frustrated whenever you go on walks because your dog barks at other dogs then you can make a plan to combat that. When will you train that behavior? What resources will you use? How often will you practice that training? How long will you practice when you do the training? The challenge with many "annoying" dog behaviors is that we often only think about them when they happen. But the truth is, you're not going to train out a problem behavior in the heat of the moment.  Instead, you need to practice the situations the lead to problem behaviors on their own. So if your dog always barks when people come to the door, don't think you can train that when a stranger knocks on the door. Instead, practice having someone (a neighbor, friend, etc.) come to the door while you are engaged in a training session with a specific plan. Recap Although our dogs mean the world to us, they can do things that drive us a little bit crazy. So when this happens, take the time to get some space, re-engage with something fun, and then make a plan to help overcome the problem behaviors causing you stress! If you're looking for in-depth resources to help overcome challenging behaviors, you can find the techniques as part of Pupford Academy. Access it here: https://pfrd.site/academy-accesss Please leave a review and thanks for listening!