Build Confidence: One Step At A Time
In today’s busy world, it’s no surprise that we are seeing an increase in dogs that lack confidence. They are expected to experience so much that seems quite normal to us, but for our dogs, our world can be quite difficult. A lack of confidence can present itself over a broad range of situations so I won’t attempt to list examples, as the spectrum is so vast. That being said, I do truly believe that every dog is different, so I know there isn’t always a ‘one size fits all’ answer. However, in this blog, I will share with you a simple yet effective tool that you can use with your dog straight away to start building their confidence.
So, that leads me nicely onto today’s topic – dog lead walks.
What are dog lead walks?
Certified animal behaviourist Andrew Hale coined the term supportive walking, which involves having a dog-centred approach to lead walking with your dog. This approach encourages us to solely focus on our dog during walks, allowing us to build a connection through the lead, and develop a deeper understanding of our dog’s overall wellbeing during walks. One of the key elements of this idea is dog lead walks. Now, dog lead walks are pretty much what it sounds like. A walk where the dog leads the way with their heart and nose. Simple as that. But let’s get into why this can be so transformational for dogs.
Why use dog lead walks?
Now maybe you’re asking yourself why is this actually significant? And more importantly, how does it improve confidence in our dogs?
To consider this point, let’s think about this question. How many decisions do you have to make in a day? Genuinely try to consider how many it is. It’s probably more than 10 by the time you leave the house in the morning. In fact, during the day you probably have to make so many decisions that you find yourself getting bogged down or even overwhelmed by the number of decisions you have to make.
Our dogs often have the opposite problem.
Consider how many decisions they make in a day. I bet it’s very few. We often decide when they wake up, what they eat, when they eat, what time they go out for a walk, where we walk, whether they can bring a toy on their walk, when they go to sleep… The list goes on.
This shows us that our dogs actually have very little agency and control over their day-to-day life. A dog’s level of confidence can be greatly influenced by their sense of control and their ability to make decisions. When we think of it like this, it highlights how these factors could be linked. Now, I’m not saying that this is the only reason why our dog can struggle with confidence, but what I am highlighting is how impactful a few small changes to our dog’s walks could be.
By simply letting you dog lead the way a few times a week, you would be granting them agency and control that they fully deserve to have, and therefore having a positive impact on their confidence in the process.
Common struggles -
This concept can be highly impactful, but as with most things in life, it can come with its struggles. One of the most common struggles I see with this exercise is a dog that finds it hard to even begin sniffing in the first place. A dog in this position may be experiencing higher levels of anxiety or might even have other struggles that need assessing first. On the other end of the spectrum, we have the dog that might already bound through life with speed, and so the struggle that comes with this exercise might be strong pulling, which can become uncomfortable.
This doesn’t mean these dogs can’t take part. In fact, I am highly confident they would see huge benefits from taking part in this activity. Some dogs may require a little more guidance, and that’s totally okay.
Reaching out for that bit of extra support may do you and your dog the world of good, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch today to give yourself and your dog the helping hand you both deserve.
I would love to hear all about your journey if you give this a go!
Chat soon – Sophie