Personally, if your dog bites when petted, I may teach him signals that allow him to anticipate he will be petted for a given time. I keep my word. The dog does not feel uncomfortable. I do not insist beyond what he can bear.
Personally, if your dog is uncomfortable around other dogs, for whatever reason, rather than having to put a muzzle on him (especially if it is aversive to him), I'll see to progress at his pace to teach him skills and/or change his perception of other dogs.
Personally, if your dog avoids humans as much as possible, I won't drag him at all costs (unless it's a very temporary situation) and surrounded by humans.
Personally, if your dog barks and howls and destroys when you're not home, I'd create slow progression exercises to solidify that progression, rather than have him repeating the same panic behaviors over and over again.
Personally, if your dog suffers from pains and/or diseases, I adjust the exercises so that he is not further penalized by his health and is able to monopolize his mental resources to modify his behavior.
Personally, if your dog is showing he is physically and/or mentally and/or emotionally tired, I won't insist to the point of putting him in difficulty and the rest of the session losing its value.
When I work with dogs suffering from anxiety and/or fear, I refuse to drive them into a corner.
When I work with dogs who don't trust humans to guide them, I mean to inspire safety in them as well as to teach them skills.
When I work with dogs whose only response is to use their teeth, I don't get into confrontation, I break down the exercises so they can learn other things.
When I work with dogs who redirect their excitement to runners, teeth forward, I teach them other behaviors so that he lets off steam another way.
When I work with dogs who want to go right while I want to go left, I very enthusiastically invite them to follow me and reinforce their following rather than counteracting what they are doing.
Working with living beings, both humans and dogs, requires adaptation. I also consider that my coherence, my consistency, my body language, the absence of fawning from me, my insistence on respecting my values, my determination to improve well-being and not just to teach behaviors, are allies for your dog to follow my recommendations, even if he seems willing to do otherwise.
Just because I sometimes say “no” to your dog doesn’t mean I’m going to knowingly ignore his emotional state. It’s not the comfort of one, nor the comfort of the other, it’s the well-being of all that motivates me.
Putting a dog in his red zone, with handicaps, is not my way of working.
Putting a dog in his orange zone, with flattery, is not my way of working.
I put your dog in the green zone, on the edge of the orange zone, so that he pushes the boundary himself. I instill infinitesimal doses of stress so that he is able, and willing, to overcome it on his own. I do not go beyond the walls your dog has built, I encourage him to push them or to destroy them himself.
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