31/07/2026
Great post!
I've never been a fan of busy cities. You'll never find me choosing a day out in London over a walk in the countryside. I don't enjoy travelling by train. I don't like the crowds, the noise or the constant rush. Could I do those things? Of course but I choose not to because they don't make me feel comfortable.
Nobody tells me I need to learn to love it. Nobody says I should spend every weekend in London until I "get used to it." Nobody suggests my personality needs changing.
Yet it's common for some people to do exactly that with their dogs.
They take naturally quiet, thoughtful dogs into crowded town centres, busy cafes, noisy pubs, packed events or places full of unfamiliar dogs, then wonder why they are stressed, overwhelmed or trying to leave.
Somewhere along the way, they have stopped asking a really important question:
"๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ช๐๐ก๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐, ๐ค๐ง ๐๐จ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ข๐?"
The focus becomes how to get their dog to tolerate it, rather than asking whether they actually want to be there.
๐ฆ Not every dog wants to be a social butterfly.
๐ญ Not every dog enjoys busy environments.
๐โ๐ฆบ Not every dog needs to go everywhere with us.
And that's ok - it's not a flaw that needs fixing.
Please don't get me wrong. As a dog trainer, I absolutely believe in building confidence, teaching life skills and helping dogs cope with situations they will inevitably face. Vet visits, grooming, everyday handling and other essential parts of life are important but there's a huge difference between helping a dog manage life's necessities and trying to change their personality to suit ours.
We shouldn't be trying to make every dog the same. Instead, we should be trying to understand the individual dog in front of us.
Imagine if someone insisted that the only way you could live a fulfilled life was by spending every weekend doing the one thing you dislike most. Eventually, you might tolerate it, you might even appear calm but would that ever become your happy place?
Confidence doesn't always mean teaching a dog to cope with every environment. Sometimes, confidence is having the confidence, as their owner, to say:
"๐๐๐๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฃ'๐ฉ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐'๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ'๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ก๐ฎ ๐ค๐ ."
Instead of trying to fit your dog into an environment, find an environment that allows them to naturally thrive ๐.
๐ณ Some dogs come alive on a quiet woodland walk.
๐ Some are happiest exploring open fields with plenty of space.
๐ Some would choose a peaceful sniff around the countryside over a bustling high street every single time.
Remember, success isn't having a dog who can go everywhere. Sometimes, success is knowing your dog so well that you stop expecting them to.
The happiest dogs aren't always the ones who can cope with everything. They are often the ones whose owners understand them well enough to give them a life that suits who they are โค๏ธ.
So next time you are planning to take your dog somewhere with you, ask yourself:
"๐ผ๐ข ๐ ๐ฉ๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ค๐ฃ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ค๐ง ๐๐ข ๐ ๐๐๐ค๐ค๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ค๐ฃ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐ง๐ช๐ก๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐?" ๐ฅฐ
ยฉ๏ธ Written by Amanda Childs
Happy Buddies - Dog Training & Walking and Puppy School
๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฑ๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐จ๐ณ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ช๐ค, ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ต ๐ข๐ด ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ต! ๐
