The perspective we choose changes everything 🤍 #reactivedog #dogreactivity #dogttraining

Reactivity has a way of making us feel like we’re failing. But true growth is rarely loud. It’s quiet, steady, almost unnoticeable - until one day you look back and realise just how far you’ve come. So much of good dog training is recognising the emotions driving behaviour, and looking after our dog’s emotional well-being. We know they can’t learn effectively when they’re stressed or overwhelmed. But what we don’t talk about nearly enough is the human side of that equation. Why do we extend compassion so freely to our dogs, yet deny it to ourselves? Why do we expect perfection, endless patience, and unshakable strength from ourselves when the truth is - we’re learning too? Progress with a reactive dog doesn’t move in a straight line. One day feels like a breakthrough, the next feels like we’re back at square one. We can’t always control our environment, and we are bound to make mistakes - we are human after all. But none of that erases the effort, the learning, or the bond that’s growing beneath the surface. Changing the lens we look at our experiences through can be really tough - way easier said than done. But slowly over time, with lots of conscious practice, you’ll start to feel your mindset and perspective shift. And that shift is where the real growth happens - for both ends of the leash 🫶