The expectations you set create the behaviours you get

The expectations you set create a lot of the behaviours you get.

👉🏻 If you’ve set the expectation that your dog can say hi to everyone they meet, it’s likely that they’ll display frustration behaviours when someone doesn’t want to say hi to your dog.

👉🏻 If you’ve set the expectation that your dog just gets to leap out of the car and run wild the second you arrive somewhere, chances are they’re going to struggle to be calm and wait quietly on the day you need a minute to get organised.

👉🏻 If you’ve set the expectation that your dog is able to pull and sniff whenever they want on your walk, it’s highly likely that they’re going to find listening to you instead really tough at first.

👉🏻 If you’ve set the expectation that you’ll half heartedly enforce your rules the first 5 times but let them do whatever by the 6th, it’s likely your dog will learn to keep pushing until you give in.

But.

👉🏻 If you set the expectation that engaging with you leads to the stuff they want (food, toys, freedom, affection), you’re going to get more engagement from them.

👉🏻 If you set the expectation that sometimes we just go somewhere and chill out, no big deal, you’re more likely to have a dog that can just go places and chill out.

👉🏻 If you set the expectation that when you see other people and dogs you usually just walk on by, your dog is going to learn that not everyone is there for their excitement and entertainment.

👉🏻 If you set the expectation that you’re going to uphold your boundaries consistently every time, your dog is going to learn there’s no hope in pushing it.

Having a well behaved & stable pet dog isn’t just about teaching your dog to sit in a 5 minute training session independent of the rest of their life and expecting that alone to translate to good manners throughout the day.

It’s also about consistently putting good habits in place throughout the day as a standard part of your lifestyle, teaching your dog the expectations that align with a quality life together. When the expectations are clear for the dog, the stress typically comes down & the behaviours we want to see fall into place a lot easier.

What do you want to see from your dog, and what expectations does your dog need to have for that to happen consistently?