Field notes · Dog training in Angier & Raleigh, NC
How do I build my dog's confidence?
A nervous dog doesn't get braver by being kept away from what worries him. He gets braver by handling it with help, and finding out that he could.
In the trainer's words
There's some pressure but he overcomes it, so he starts to gain confidence because he becomes competent.Kelton, Head Trainer, Angier K9 Consultants
Seen with 4 dogs: Bun, Kodak, Finn, Reaper
81 recorded moments, each one linked to the exact second it happens in a full training session published unedited. Trainers call this confidence from competence.
12:41
"Rooted in something" — reading fear, not punishing it
3:36
Someone pops out — the nervousness underneath
8:42
Nervous to come out — then fully through
30:14
Hard stare, snapping, lunging — who he was
30:41
The trainer not being afraid is part of the method
31:05
Punished, not negatively reinforced
32:47
You don't have to be afraid
3:55
Working the first refusal
12:04
Insecurity, not disobedience
14:40
What's your plan?" — "Exposure.
15:05
Confidence comes from competence
15:31
Pressure he doesn't know what to do with
15:58
Coping skills, and a jog after stress
21:59
Pressure, release, reward — the whole loop
44:01
Ears up, tail right, not reactive
62:05
Down, heel, stairs, interactions — all at once
63:21
A cart makes him nervous
24:18
Zuri tries to pull him off something
Related questions
Recognize your own dog in this?
Most people who call us have already been told their dog is a lost cause, or that they should manage it and hope. We train dogs in Angier, Raleigh and across the Triangle, and we take the serious aggression and reactivity cases that other programs turn down.
How it works: tell us what your dog is actually doing. We tell you honestly whether we can help, including when the answer is no. If we can, you leave with a plan and a start date.
What you get back is a dog whose world gets bigger instead of smaller.
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