7 major players in problematic canine behavior.

(See images here)

When we bring dogs into our hearts and homes, we are accepting a responsibility.

Dogs are 100% dependent upon us for everything in life. From what they eat... to how much exercise they get... to what they learn (and don't learn)... to what they get exposed to... and so on.

"Behavior" is multi-layered. It's also...

: information, 

: a manner of expression, 

: a form of feedback, 

: a type of response, and 

: a reflection of what's in excess, what's lacking (or completely missing), and what's just right.

While there are other ingredients that contribute to the development of problematic behaviors- like unclear messaging and communication leading to blurred lines, misunderstanding, and confusion- these are the big ones...

UNMET NEEDS.

Dogs have instinctual/ essential, individual, and breed-specific needs that must be met and provided for in order to nurture balance, a sense of safety and security, and overall health and well-being. 

Instinctual/ Essential Needs (physical, mental, and emotional; structure and order, rules and boundaries, daily exercise, brain training and learning new things, exposure and socialization, stable home environment, etc.).

Individual (is the dog: highly sensitive? softer or stronger in energy - mentally? lower or higher in energy - physically? low or high drive? skittish, fearful, nervous, hyper-vigilant, etc? happy go lucky or anxious?)

Breed-specific (was the dog bred to perform certain tasks? does the dog come from a specific lineage? if breed tendencies are strong in a particular dog and these do not get channeled or have an outlet to be expressed or practiced, this can create a great deal of frustration)

Unmet and unprovided-for needs are a significant contributor to problematic behavior.

THE HUMAN END OF THE LEASH.

Our dogs are looking to us for their cues, guidance, directives, and how to feel about every person, set of circumstances, and scenario, and we are always sharing information with them. 

What are we bringing to the table? What do we represent? What type of information are we sharing with them? What type of energy are we bringing into their space? What type of energy are we guiding, directing, and leading through- anxiety? stress? fear? nervousness? doubt? frustration? impatience? anger? 

What are we doing and not doing? What are we teaching and not teaching? 

Are we holding ourselves (and them) accountable?

Are we constantly making excuses for ourselves (and them)? 

We all have wounds, traumas, and personal battles we're working through. We're all older, adult versions of a little child that had needs that went unmet. How much of our lives, choices, responses, perceptions, habits and patterns is being run by him or her? 

The "challenging" dogs tend to be the more sensitive dogs, and are treasures in that they'll highlight, amplify, and reflect back to us what's being avoided, ignored, suppressed, resisted, and denied.

This ingredient matters so much that it's the title of my upcoming book, "The Human End of the Leash: Dog Training's Missing Link". 

GENETICS.

Dogs will come with their own type of wiring. Not only may certain breed types hand down certain traits, but if the mother felt unsafe, was stressed and anxious, etc. while puppies were in utero- this will often translate over to the pups. As with people. And while some dogs are born wired a certain way, we can up-play or downplay genetics through lifestyle. We can soften or magnify. 

ENVIRONMENT

What's the home environment like? Chaotic (can be overwhelming for a sensitive dog)? Calm? Is there constant...constant? Is there a great deal of tension in the home amongst the humans living there? A lot of bickering? Yelling and conflict? Intense emotions? Everything from this to renovations in the home, construction going on outside the home, people moving in or people moving out, moving to a new home, in-home clutter, etc. 

TRAUMA

Trauma isn't what happens to us, it's what happens inside of us as a result of what happens to us. It's not the event, it's the wound we sustain as a result of the event. (Dr. Gabor Mate) It's **how we internalize it.**

Trauma rewires us for feeling UNSAFE, both dogs and humans. Unsafe in our bodies. Unsafe in our homes. Unsafe in our families and relationships. Unsafe in the world around us. It forms our beliefs (with dogs, this is *associations*), filters, perceptions and interpretations, ability to trust, and so on. 

No one alive is exempt from trauma. 

(Unmet needs are the most common form of trauma)

Trauma (the wound) gets expressed through behavior, patterns, and reactions. Same holds true for dogs.

NUTRITION

This is something I'm deeply passionate about (and also have a book and a digital course on it called "What to Feed Your Dog...and Why"/ www.packfit.net). There's a huge difference between "food-like product" ....and *real, physiologically appropriate food*. There's also a huge difference between "eating".....and actually *nourishing* the body. Most people (and most dogs depending on people to make their nutritional choices for them) are just eating. 

Not only is clean, biologically appropriate *nourishment* important for overall health (gut, immune, etc. health), but also for state of mind and behavioral health (as it is with humans). 

BOREDOM

Many dogs will "misbehave" and become destructive, barky, etc. when they're simply .... bored. Especially if they're a mentally strong dog who receives little to no mental challenge (learning new things, problem solving, connecting new dots, etc). 

So, again- although there are multiple ingredients that contribute to, influence, and impact canine behavior, those are 7 big ones.