09/23/2026
Have you ever felt MAD or FRUSTRATED at your dog?
They peed in the house?
Chased the cat?
Chewed your shoe?
Ran away at the park?
Made you late to work?
Woke you up at 3 am?
The dog ate out of the litter box... again?
On the Internet all the dogs are cute, sweet and never frustrate anyone because they're perfect and their dog is perfect.
Or maybe that's all a lie.
(It is).
Many people hire me and other dog trainers because they had these feelings of anger or frustration.
Take a breath and don't beat yourself up. This is normal.
Here are some tips-
Be realistic. That thing that made you mad, it's going to happen again, isn't it? What can you change? Most likely, there's an environmental change you can make.
What do I mean? Close the door, use a leash, a gate, feed the cat someplace else, block the dog's access to the litter box, etc.
Getting mad typically isn't an emergency so calling a trainer for emergency help isn't going to happen.
Training can't all happen today. Go have a cup of tea and breathe.
Take care of yourself. Like I said yesterday to someone, you need to put your oxygen mask on first. You can't be a better pet parent if you are taking care of everyone but yourself.
Can you take something off your plate?
If you love your dog walks, keep doing it. If you hate it but your dog needs to get out, can a family member or friend do it? Can you hire a dog walker?
You're not a bad person for getting frustrated at your dog and your dog is not a gremlin trying to make you miserable.
If you've gotten mad this week at your dog, what can you change?
Remember, isolation is not good for living creatures. That hyper independence that you may be doing may actually be more harmful than good.
Asking for help is human. Asking for support is human. Talking it out is human.
Need someone to talk to and you have no one in your life that will get it?
Message me. I'll be keeping an eye on my messages today.
💚