09/10/2026
🎃 It’s that time of year! 👻
Buck and I had a field trip training session yesterday, and all the creepy Halloween decorations are officially out! For an adolescent dog, those strange figures, sounds, and movements can be some seriously scary stuff. 😳
So, we worked on creating positive associations with all the weirdness around us. By the end of our outing, Buck was walking right past the spooky figures without having any big feelings about them! 🎃🐾
This is such an important part of helping dogs build confidence. We always want to work at the **correct distance and pace for that individual dog**. Every dog is going to react differently, and it’s important that we never force them into a situation that is too overwhelming or move faster than they’re ready for.
Confidence isn’t built by throwing a dog into the deep end. It’s built through safe, positive experiences where they can learn, process, and realize, “Hey, that scary thing isn’t actually so scary!” ❤️🐶
Way to go, Buck! 👏