20/10/2026
Archie’s Great Escape
I have been working with a client recently whose dog has a challenging behaviour. Often, our first focus is on training. In focusing on the training, we skip a really important step: ‘management’. I think we get caught up in the ‘training’ element of behaviour change rather than the ‘management’ element.
When I talk about implementing management strategies, many people say something along the lines of, “Oh! That makes perfect sense. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that myself!” Others might ask, “And what is management?”
Management before training helps us prevent or limit unwanted behaviour while we work on what we want our dog to do instead. Changing behaviour is much harder if your dog is still getting opportunities to practise the behaviour you want them to stop.
It reminded me of a time when I was far less informed, was kind of winging it and naively thought my puppy would choose me over something far more exciting.
Enter Archie, stage right! That dog! He gave me so many memorable lessons, but this one speaks directly to the importance of management (or, in this story, the lack of it) and what that can mean.
Let’s call this story ‘Archie’s Great Escape’.
When I brought Archie home, I hadn’t done any puppy-proofing. Puppy-proofing? What’s that? Oh, my ignorance when it came to Archie in those early days knew no bounds!
I was living in a rental in a quiet (thankfully) little cul-de-sac at the time. While I had erected barriers at the side of the house, there was a little pathway at the bottom of the garden that joined a lane leading to other houses in the same cul-de-sac.
I didn’t really see much need to block off this access. (Actually, my lack of thought astounds me as I recount this tale!) I mean, I was always with Archie, and why would he do a runner if he was with me?
And run he did! I swear that little dog had an internal turbo-boost button that he deployed the moment I was close enough to grab him. As it happened, he took off down that little lane, and I went running after him (rookie mistake). As I came into the clearing, I caught a glimpse of him making a beeline for the first house on the left, where the front door was WIDE OPEN.
I thought, “Surely not.”
But yes, my little Archie went straight into the house and disappeared into the darkness.
Only seconds later, I saw Archie running back out through the front door with the woman who lived there in hot pursuit, unceremoniously ushering him out with a broom and repeating, “Shoo, shoo, shoo!” as she did so.
I thought my neighbour would find it amusing, but alas, she did not. As introductions go, that one fell flat!
I hadn’t secured the back garden, so the temptation was too great for Archie, and he took himself off to meet the neighbours. The missing piece here wasn’t a training exercise. It was a secure boundary.
That’s what management is: arranging things so our dogs are less likely to get into situations they aren’t yet equipped to handle or to do things we don’t want them to do.
Management strategies might include installing a gate or barrier, providing greater distance, putting a lead on your dog (even indoors, while supervised) or keeping exciting or tempting things — shoes, valuable items, rubbish bins and so on — out of reach. These measures can prevent a problem before it even starts.
Training builds skills, but it takes time. Management belongs at the beginning of any behaviour change plan and continues alongside training. It helps keep everyone safe and prevents repeated practice of the behaviour we’re trying to change while we teach an alternative.
Archie didn’t need to learn how to be a better neighbour that day. I needed to close the gap in his social calendar.
So, before you ask, “How do I train my dog to stop doing that?”, ask, “How can I stop it happening in the first place?”
Has your dog ever had an ‘Archie moment’? Share your story below — and if you’d like help putting management strategies in place, message me.
