#1 Dog Trainer for Anxiety Dog Aggression Separation Anxiety Reactivity

The breed that I train more than any other are Staffies. Whether its an English Staffy, American Staffy or a Staffy mix, this breed certainly takes up a lot of my time. But why? Well the Staffy has now overtaken the Labrador as the most popular dog breed in Australia. So of course the numbers certainly mean that because there are more of them then obviously i will see more. However, it goes deeper than that. Staffies are a naturally very highly strung breed. They are also one of the most lovable and loyal breeds and it is this combination that creates the problems. 

The main issues that I am dealing with in Staffies are pulling on the leash, dog aggression, over excitement and separation anxiety. So where does it all go wrong? Well, everyone gets the balance wrong. Whether a rescue or a puppy, we give them too much affection and not enough direction. We allow them to follow us everywhere. I have a lot of clients that cant have a shower or go to the toilet without there dog right there with them watching there every move. Some people love this. Think its cute and think its great that there dog follows them everywhere because "he/she just loves me so much". What they fail to realise is that their dog really struggles to relax unless their dog is at there feet or on top of them.

So we start with a collar and leash. Dog is overexcited and pulls too hard to the point of choking themselves so then as an owner we don't want to see our dog choke so we put them into a harness. There are thousands of miracle "no pull" harnesses on the market. None of them are very effective and if they do make a difference its not for long. 90% of my Staffy clients will have their dog in a harness. Harnesses encourage pulling which in turn fires the dog up even more, to the point that the dog is now so fired up when meeting other dogs it more often than not leads to dog aggression. Alternatively we just take them to a dog park and just let them run wild because we feel guilty not being able to walk them properly. Either way, the dog is now over stimulated either on the walk or at the dog park. So now the dog is overexcited at home and outside. Now I hope you can see the problem that is being created.

The walk is really crucial but only if done correctly. Unfortunately the majority of people don't know how to walk their dog properly. Through no fault of there own, they just haven't been shown the correct way or they've watched dozens of useless and incorrect videos on YouTube. One of the great myths on the internet is that you need to go on massive walks to tire your dog out... Wrong. All that happens is that the dog gets fitter and still has trouble settling when at home. We need to slow the walk down, keep the dog on the left side only, eliminate sniffing and get them to sit every time we stop walking. They are not to move from that sit position until we start walking again. If we cant get these basics right, then we just stick to a 15-20 minute walk until they learn. I don't care if you only get 200 meters up the road. As long as they are using their brain, and focused on our direction, then they will be mentally tired when we get home.

Create space between you and your dog when you are at home. Give them affection when you want to give it to them not when they want it. Otherwise they will looking for it all of the time and wont be able to relax. Limit playing to outside. Inside is to always be calm and relaxed. Do not have toys lying around. Keep toys out of sight and bring them out and play with them when you want it and outside is best. Give them boundaries at home. The more the better and the more they have, the more they will have to use their brain and be mentally fatigued which is the main goal for our dogs. Boundaries include not allowed in the kitchen, a bed or mat is a great place to teach them to stay in one spot to relax. Not allowed on the lounge unless invited. These rules are the foundation to getting your dog to relax and to lessen anxiety. 

Now these obviously not only apply to Staffies but to all breeds. The reason I am talking about Staffies is because they are now the most popular dogs in Australia but I train more of them than any other breed and if you go to any shelter, you will see the majority are Staffies or Staffy crosses and a lot of them continually get re-homed because of the issues I outlined earlier. The shelters will generally tell people that they are great family dogs (which is true), what they fail to mention is that they will generally have high levels of anxiety and the majority of these dogs will be extremely difficult to walk and will most likely be very reactive around other dogs. If you, or anyone that you know is thinking about adopting this breed, please, please make sure that you know what you are getting yourself in for. They really are a beautiful breed but are a lot of work. Don't treat them like a baby. If you treat your dog like a human, they will treat you like a dog. Do your research, and consult a trainer early on to make sure you get things right from the start. I hope this information helps, and should you need any help please let me know.