Holistic dog training goes beyond what we think of as standard dog training and is revolutionizing the way we interact with and educate our canine companions, and work with dog behavior issues. Holistic dog behaviorists and trainers consider the whole dog – their physical, mental, and emotional needs – to create a balanced and harmonious relationship between our dogs and us, their human families.
At its core, holistic dog training recognizes that dogs are sentient beings with complex needs and emotions. Rather than focusing solely on correcting unwanted behaviors, or simply training dogs with a cookie cutter method, its method aims to understand and address the root causes of these behaviors. It emphasizes creating a positive learning environment that nurtures trust, respect, and love.
Key Elements of Holistic Dog Training
Physical Health: Holistic trainers consider the dog's overall health, including nutrition, exercise, and potential medical issues that may affect behavior – I see a lot of dogs with undiagnosed pain, or gastro issues, and always work alongside veterinary teams. Sometimes dietary changes, pain-relief trails or natural remedies are recommended to support the dog's well-being, and help with behavioral issues.
Emotional Balance: This approach acknowledges the importance of a dog's emotional state. Trainers work to build emotional resilience and reduce stress, anxiety, and fear that can lead to behavioral problems. As a behaviorist, I'm looking at ‘the emotional dog' and look to affective neuroscience in my work.
Mental Stimulation: Holistic training incorporates activities that challenge a dog's mind, preventing boredom and promoting cognitive health. This can include puzzle toys, scent work, and varied training exercises. Most of our dogs were bred for centuries to have jobs, and giving a dog a job again can truly change their lives.
Environmental Factors: The dog's living environment and family dynamics are evaluated to identify and eliminate potential stressors or problem-causing factors, sleeping place, quality, environmental noises and other resident animals will all have an impact on how a dog feels about living in that environment.
Natural Communication: Holistic professional dog trainers emphasize understanding and using the natural ways dogs communicate, fostering clearer inter-species communication. Dogs are dogs, they are not furry humans, and understanding how they show us how they are feeling is really important.
Benefits of the Holistic Approach
The holistic approach to dog training offers a lot of benefits over conventional methods, it gives us a greater understanding of the learner in front of us, and we can adapt how we train for that individual dog, to help them thrive. By considering every aspect of a dog's life, it creates lasting solutions to behavior problems while building stronger bonds between dogs and their humans. This positive, comprehensive method develops calm and confident dogs who feel secure in their environment, making training a stress-free experience for everyone involved.
Implementing Holistic Training
Implementing a holistic approach to dog training requires patience, consistency, and a willingness to look at the bigger picture – the motivation begins why a dog behaves in the way they do can take a fair bit of investigation and sleuthing skills to find the root cause. It may involve changes to the dog's diet, exercise routine, and home environment. Owners are encouraged to become more attuned to their dog's body language and emotional states.
Many aspects of holistic training can be incorporated into daily life. This might include regular mental stimulation through training games, ensuring a balanced diet, creating a calm, stress-free home environment, or even just monitoring their mood and how they react in certain situations.
Holistic dog training represents a shift towards a more compassionate and comprehensive approach to canine care and education for the 21st century. By considering all aspects of a dog's life and well-being, it offers a path to a happier, healthier relationship between dogs and their human companions.
I approach all of my work as a Certified Companion Animal Behaviorist and Professional Dog Trainer, holistically! This means I look at your dog as a whole, to talk to me about your dog get in touch, or book a session.
Want to learn more? Check out how I use desensitization in dog separation anxiety training, or how about some ideas for rainy day indoor dog games?