😱 Is your dog’s training just masking the issue?

“Most of the dogs we work with are some of the most highly-trained dogs people have seen… But that’s not the problem. They can do ‘sit, down, stay.’ They can ‘drop and leave it.’ he problem is that they have fear or other emotions that are driving behaviors such as aggression toward other people. But they can still do all those basic obedience skills.”

There’s a special kind of joy that comes when your dog listens to a command for the first time.

And for some, basic obedience training is all it takes to help them become a well-rounded, well-behaved part of the family.

But what happens if your dog is one who experiences severe anxiety that leads to destruction, or fear that causes them to lash out at others?

“Sit” isn’t going to address the root cause behind the issue.

But for Maddie Messina, certified applied animal behaviorist and founder of Paws for Thought, those complex behaviors were never a deal breaker…

They’re an opportunity to help pet parents understand what’s really going on with their dog so they can work toward forming a stronger bond.

The desire to dig deeper

“How do we address that fear that they're feeling and address the emotions, not necessarily through obedience-style skills, but through more coping mechanisms that we teach them?”

While studying animal behavior in college, Maddie experienced an eye-opening moment that changed her career path and led to her becoming a much-needed resource for countless pet parents.

As an intern at a shelter, she was tasked with working with a dog who had heartworm and had to be confined.

Many dogs in confinement don’t do well and often end up developing various issues that can be hard to address (makes sense, who wants to be away from everyone else!).

After spending the summer working through basic manners and providing exercise for her body and brain, however, the dog was adopted.

Being new to training at the time, this experience proved that even the most basic training can make a big impact on a dog.

And it made a big impact on Maddie too. Once she graduated with a Masters in Animal Behavior, she knew she could help dogs beyond what obedience training could provide.

“We really focus primarily on working with dogs who have behavior issues. These are behaviors that are rooted in emotions–either very positive or very negative emotions. So things like fear, stress, and anxiety, for example.”

Understanding that these dogs would benefit from individualized training based on their own experiences and emotions, she created Paws for Thought.

When it comes to training, one size doesn’t fit all

“When we're looking at dogs, we try to take a very holistic approach. Does the dog have any underlying medical concerns that could be driving these behaviors? What was their background? Did they come from a hoarding situation? Are they from a rural area, and they have no experience with the city? Are they pet store dogs? e think about a lot of factors, and obviously all of those factors can be different.”

Like humans, dogs’ past experiences can greatly influence the being they become later in life.

Maddie sees this a lot working with multiple dogs each week.

For example, one day, she might be working with a dog who came from a breeder and the parents have done everything “right,” but the dog has separation anxiety.

Another day, she might be working with a dog who has a really traumatic history of physical abuse and ended up in the shelter system.

“There's no way I can look at both of those dogs and say, ‘You have such vastly different backgrounds, the same treatment is going to work perfectly for both of you.’”

For training to be truly effective, it should take all of these factors into consideration so it doesn’t end up just masking behaviors.

That’s also why group classes might not always be the best bet.

While there can be group training that offers a specialized focus (like the reactive dog class Paws for Thought has offered), they typically cover basic obedience for puppies or young dogs.

Individualized training, on the other hand, can really consider the complexity and variety of each dog’s issues, and it can also keep others safe if aggression is the behavior being addressed.

Why positive reinforcement is the key for complex behaviors…

“The goal is that we are trying to minimize fear and stress as much as possible and I really believe that adding pressure or pain is not going to help minimize fear or stress.”

Because of her background in animal behavior, Maddie’s training approach isn’t just based on personal bias.

When working toward a root cause of an issue, she firmly believes that positive reinforcement is the way to go, and has the knowledge to back why it works best.

“One of the problems with punishment-style methods is that it can suppress signals and then we can get escalated behavior in situations where they thought the dog was fine. The other problem is that it tends to ignore the emotional side of things completely.”

When a dog barks and lunges for example, there’s a reason behind it. They’re giving a warning sign but we don’t always know how to interpret it.

And when we focus on simply extinguishing the undesired behavior (like barking and lunging), the emotion (like fear) that’s causing it is still there.

So what happens when the dog learns it can’t bark and lunge but it’s still fearful when that trigger happens?

It might skip the warning altogether and go to the next step, the bite. (This isn’t always the case! It’s just an example 😊)

“We don't use any punishment-based methods because we don't want to eliminate any of those warning signs. The warnings are actually great communication.”

Instead of suppressing the warning, we can instead work with the emotion that was causing it. If we eliminate the fear, there’s no need to bark and lunge.

…And it leads to a stronger bond

“Interestingly, there’s a lot of research coming out now on attachment theory in dogs. And I think forming that secure attachment where the dog knows, ‘Okay, this human is here to protect me and help me but I can also be brave and independent, and check things out on my own.’ helps build that bond too.”

The act of training in and of itself is the perfect way to feel more connected to your dog.

It’s an active activity where you’re both working on building trust and understanding, after all.

But with positive reinforcement-based training specifically, it can also be really enjoyable and fun.

“In those moments when they’re like, ‘This is working!’ And no one is feeling uncomfortable or in pain, it’s really one of the best parts of my job.”

As they continue working with the training and start seeing progress, it creates a sense of structure too, which reinforces that they can trust you for guidance when they’re faced with a situation that’s historically been fear-inducing.

“So much of the issues we see with dogs is just a lack of understanding. They don’t know what’s going to happen and where. So clear communication is one of the biggest things I preach with my clients.”

With this communication in place, you can then take part in activities that’ll further build and strengthen your bond.

“...often that happens through things like exploring… doing new activities together, exploring new spaces together, trying new things together. And yes, positive reinforcement training is definitely one of those activities.”

Connection-building tips for challenging dogs

“This is helpful beyond belief: Start learning about canine body language and get really comfortable with it. If you're going to learn one thing, learn about dog body language and adjust accordingly.”

Since a lot of issues stem from a lack of understanding, knowing what your dog is actually trying to communicate will help training efforts immensely.

Beyond the actual training though, so will taking part in shared activities that you both enjoy.

For example, Maddie explains if your dog loves sniffing and you love hiking, maybe you use a longer leash so they have access to more freedom and access to sniff spots while you hike alongside them.

The internet is also full of free resources, but we definitely have to practice discernment when using tips we find online.

“There's a lot out there. So you could be getting information from positive reinforcement trainers and punishment-based trainers, and that information will conflict. You can't necessarily take bits and pieces from both.”

There are also training organizations that offer free resources and webinars, like EveryDog in Austin for those who want to start doing more focused work but may not be able to afford a trainer.

Securing a safe life no matter what

“It's not easy finding help for these dogs, especially if it's a rehoming situation. And I think what's cool about Cotl is that it provides a way to–God forbid something happens to that person–be able to transition a challenging dog to a family member, a friend, or potentially someone else outside of the community that can pick up where the owner left off. They can really step in and not have the dog just be thrown to the wolves.”

For dogs who need a lot of structure to thrive and don’t do well with change, they likely won’t make it out of the shelter system if that’s where they end up.

So if something happened to their owner, there needs to be a plan in place to keep them out of the shelter and in a home where someone can give them the attention and structure they need to thrive.

Even if your dog has behavioral challenges, they still deserve to live a safe, happy, full life.

Putting a Cotl plan in place ensures your pet is taken care of, just the way they’re used to, no matter what happens to you.

Discover how the process works or book a call directly with Sean, our founder and CEO, to see what a plan could look like for you.

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