Confidence defined: the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust.
How do we translate that to a dog? They need confidence in you – they need to trust that you have their back, that you won’t let them get hurt – or put them in harms way. It doesn’t matter if you have 2 pound Chihuahua or a 200 pound Mastiff – they need to know that you have their back – that you are there to step in when trouble arises.
That doesn’t come from picking up your dog and running away from everything that scares you – that creates insecurity, reinforcing fear. Do that to a child, and they will never gain confidence – they are living under your fears, your threshold – and is that really fair?
Dogs that run around dog parks need to have confidence in their owner to protect them when they need it. I have proven that over and over with Monty – and that’s why he’s fearless. I’m always calm around him. My job at a dog park is simple, be calm and enjoy the park time – but most importantly, keep an eye out for dogs that come in with bad intentions. If a dog does come into play – some try to play aggressively – I will deal with the offending dog. Take it by the collar, walk it back to its owner – my dog isn’t the problem here, why should I remove him?
It does happen, I’ve had to pick him up to get him out of bad scenarios. But I remain calm, and when the situation is dealt with, he ends up back on his own 4 paws and is willing to move forward again. I’ve shown him that I’m there for him – that gives him confidence in me.