237 | Why Training Isn’t Where to Start With a Fearful Dog

**Hey Dog Lover 🐾** If you have a fearful dog, chances are you've been told you need to build their confidence. More training. More exposure. More experiences. More opportunities to successfully accomplish things. Because **training builds confidence**, right? Well... maybe. But when I'm working with a fearful dog, confidence actually isn't where I start. Because before I want your dog to believe: **“I've got this.”** I want them to believe: **“You've got me.”** And that changes where we begin. Instead of focusing immediately on changing the dog, I focus on building trust between the dog and the person standing beside them. The progression I teach inside the Fearless Framework is simple: **Trust you.** **Trust the situations you put them in.** **Trust themselves.** And that last piece? **That's where confidence comes from.** In this episode, we're talking about why confidence may actually be the LAST thing we build with a fearful dog and why the relationship comes first. We'll talk about: 🐾 Why I don't start by trying to make a fearful dog more confident 🐾 Whether dog training really does “build confidence” 🐾 The difference between being confident at doing things and feeling confident navigating the world 🐾 Why trust in YOU comes before trust in themselves 🐾 How your dog learns to trust the situations you put them in 🐾 What it means for your dog to “borrow” your confidence 🐾 Why successful experiences eventually allow your dog to need you less 🐾 How trust becomes the bridge to independence Because confidence isn't necessarily the thing we're working on. We're building trust. We're building communication. We're creating experiences that show your dog they can successfully navigate the world with you. And eventually... **“You've got me” becomes “I've got this.”** That's where confidence comes from. Hope you enjoy this one! Tracy xoxox **RESOURCES** 🐾 Join the Online Program Fearless Framework! https://beyondobedience.ca/fearless 🐾 Take the Quiz! https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quiz 🐾 Read the Blog! https://beyondobedience.ca/blog **CONNECT WITH ME!** Contact → [info@beyondobedience.ca](mailto:info@beyondobedience.ca) Podcast → https://beyondobedience.ca/podcast Connect → https://facebook.com/groups/LivingBeyondObedience Resources → https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quiz Merch → https://www.beyondobedience.ca/store 🐾 **NEXT STEPS 👣** Step 1: Join the free Living Beyond Obedience community and connect with other dog owners who are learning to lead through trust, relevance, and understanding. https://facebook.com/groups/LivingBeyondObedience Step 2: Why is my dog behaving that way?? Take the Dogonality Quiz to discover how your dog's unique personality shapes the way they learn, communicate, and respond to leadership. 👉 https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quiz Step 3: Ready to stop second-guessing yourself and start understanding what your dog actually needs from you? Join the Fearless Framework. 👉 https://beyondobedience.ca/fearless Music Credit 🎶: Shawn Trotter www.shawntrotter.com