When clients call for help with certain issues, they often do it when they are in midst of the chaos. However, the process might have been much easier had they called before their dogs were in over their heads. Let me explain.

There are some behavior issues that tend to be most problematic at certain times of the year. Dogs who are reactive toward other dogs on leash tend to have the most difficult time during the warmer weather (spring, summer and fall) because there are far more people out walking their dogs during those times. Dogs who have thunderstorm phobias only have trouble during thunderstorm season – or the occasional holidays when fireworks abound. Dogs who have trouble with changes to their routines or with lots of extra people in the house might only have trouble during the holidays or other specific times when the routine changes and lots of friends or family are visiting.

For these types of issues, the best time to begin working on them is actually before the events peak. For dogs who are leash reactive or have thunderstorm phobias, for example, the best time to start the behavior modification process is actually during the winter. Hopefully, by the time you reach the peak period of difficulty, you will have a strong foundation to work through these issues.

Are there any issues you’ve been putting off working on that would be best to start now?

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