Okay, so the other day, I had this wild idea to train my huge dog, the one that scares the living daylights out of the smaller pups at the park. You know, the one who thinks he’s a lapdog but weighs more than me? Yeah, that guy.
I started this whole thing because, honestly, watching him try to be all tough and dominant was kind of embarrassing. He’d be barking, lunging, and basically acting like he owned the place. It wasn’t cool, and I figured it was time for a change.
First thing I did was try to keep calm whenever he started acting up. I mean, if I freaked out, he’d probably just get worse, right? No way I wanted to escalate things.
- Staying calm became my mantra. I avoided making any sudden movements or staring him down, which seemed to help.
- I also started to slowly back away when he got too aggressive. It was like a weird dance, but it worked.
Then, I got smart and used barriers. If we were out and about, and I saw he was about to go off, I’d quickly put myself between him and whatever was setting him off, just to create some space.
The real work, though, was the consistent training. It was all about patience and positive reinforcement. Every time he managed to stay chill around another dog, I’d give him a treat and some serious praise. It took forever, but slowly, he started to get it.
Progress
It wasn’t easy, and there were days when I thought about giving up. But we kept at it. And you know what? It actually started working. He’s still a big goofball, but now he’s a big goofball who can hang out at the park without causing a scene.
I learned a lot through this whole process. Mostly, I learned that even the most monstrous-looking dogs can learn to be friendly. It just takes a ton of patience, a bit of strategy, and a whole lot of love.
