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Relationship Revolution

6/14/2025

 

The Relationship Revolution: Why Most Dog Training Fails
​ 

(And What Actually Works)

​After ten years of working with dogs and their families, I've discovered something that might surprise you: most behavior problems aren't actually training problems. They're relationship problems.
I see it all the time. Frustrated owners come to me with dogs who "won't listen," "are stubborn," or "only behave sometimes." They've tried treats, toys, and every technique they found on YouTube. Yet their dog still pulls on leash, ignores recall, or reacts to other dogs.
The missing piece? The relationship between dog and human.

The Foundation Everything Else Builds On

Here's what I've learned from working with hundreds of dogs, especially the challenging ones: if your dog isn't motivated by your relationship, it's incredibly easy for them to blow off food, toys, and any other reward you offer.
When that happens, you're left with no leverage except punishment – and that's not a sustainable or enjoyable long-term solution. What we typically see happen, is that the root cause of the issue has still not been addressed, and you start to see problem behaviours surface in other areas.
So, yeah, maybe your dog stopped digging holes in the backyard, but then began barking excessively at the fence. 

We want our dogs to WANT to work with us, not feel like they HAVE to. But for that to happen, they need to trust our leadership. And for them to say "hey, yeah I'm going to place my life and wellbeing entirely in this person's hands and let them call all the shots", they need to have COMPLETE trust in our ability to provide everything they need; existential diet (food), safety and security, physical exercise, enrichment, and of course companionship on a level that is meaningful to them. They also need us to communicate in a way they understand. In order for them to understand us, we need to master the art of clear communication with them.
I've been able to identify the four critical pieces of the behaviour change puzzle... 

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    Author

    Melissa has been turning chaos into sit-stays since 2015. When she's not teaching dogs (and their humans) better manners, she's juggling mom life and learning something new from every furry client she meets. Coffee-fueled and treat-motivated.

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