A Rare Moment of Caution 🫢 #shorts

Can you tell she didn’t grow up near an ocean? 😂 I’m laughing because I’ve seen this behavior before — she used to do this with the lake when we lived in Milwaukee too. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it!

My point with this video though is how differently I might handle a situation depending on the dog in front of me. Fenway (my other, much more anxious/nervous dog) didn’t notice or care about this in the moment — but this is actually a situation I’d likely choose to disengage him from and move him away. It’s a sound that I would struggle to show him is coming from a harmless place, and since he already doesn’t love water, bringing him closer or keeping him there would probably make it worse for him and further convince him the water isn’t safe.

But for Wrigley, who is much more confident, not generally fearful of sounds, AND does enjoy the water (she was in it minutes before this clip), it’s a safe bet to let her sort it out herself. She is much more cautiously curious here rather than fearful.

I’m not an advocate for “let your dog endure stress and figure it out,” especially if they’re clearly struggling, having a hard time working through it, and they don’t have the tools they need to succeed. I don’t think that’s fair — and it’s not something I’d expect a human to handle without help either. BUT if the stress is minor, temporary, harmless, and my dog has the skill set to work through it, it can be a really cool opportunity to build resilience.

It takes knowing your dog really well to decide whether to step in or not. Sometimes letting them figure it out is best, sometimes it’s not.

Can we get some cheers for Wrigley facing those strange water ripple gremlins?! 👏😂

Видео A Rare Moment of Caution 🫢 #shorts канала Sarah Certified - Dog Training