This is More Common Than You Think

THIS IS MORE COMMON THAN YOU THINK

“My dog behaves completely differently with my partner.”

“My dog will do that for the dog walker but not for me.”

“They’re more confident when this person is here.”

“They react to things with me that they don’t react to with somebody else.”

This is more common than you think.

Behaviour doesn’t exist separately from context.

Different people can mean different histories, movement patterns, expectations, routines, emotional associations and experiences.

Even something as subtle as lead handling, walking speed, where somebody stands or how quickly they respond to communication can change the picture.

It doesn’t automatically mean your dog respects somebody else more.

And it certainly doesn’t mean you’ve failed.

Instead of asking:

“Why won’t they do that for me?”

We can get curious about:

“What changes for my dog when I’m part of the picture?”

There may be some incredibly useful information hiding in that difference.

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