Michael Baugh CDBC
There was a time when a television personality popularized the idea of “energy” in dog training. Dominance energy. Pack leader energy. Alpha energy.
It made for interesting television. He became a star. Too many dogs paid the price.
Those ideas about energy often translated into kicks, hard leash yanks, intimidation, and electric shocks delivered through remote collars.
Don’t get me wrong. I have no problem with the idea of energy in dog training. I live and teach dog training in Sedona. I’m surrounded by and immersed in the very best kind of energy.
But that alpha, dominant, pack leader nonsense? I call bullshit.
That’s not the vibe any of us should aspire to. It’s not the energy our dogs need. At best, it’s ego. At worst, and far too often, it’s abuse.
So what kind of energy should we bring to our dogs?
Kindness.
Patience.
Humility.
The willingness to listen instead of overpower. To teach, instead of intimidate. To ask, “How can I help my dog?” instead of “How can I make my dog submit?”
Every great religious tradition points us in this direction. So do the philosophers. So do the saints. They all arrive at the same conclusion: kindness is strength, not weakness.
The only dog training energy we really need is love.
Go ahead. Roll your eyes. Then hear me out.
Love isn’t soft. It isn’t permissive. It isn’t letting your dog do whatever they want.
Love pays attention.
Love notices when a dog is confused instead of calling them stubborn. Love sees fear instead of defiance. Love slows down when learning gets difficult. Love sets a dog up to succeed instead of waiting for them to fail.
Of course, we set boundaries. Of course, we don’t leave dogs to their own devices. That would be irresponsible. Life in our human world is tricky (ask any human), and our dogs depend on us to help them navigate it.
But anger is not a training technique, and shrouding it in the language of energy is an insult to our dogs and ourselves.
Look at your dog. They aren’t the ones hung up on leadership and dominance. Science debunked that idea long ago. Look at them in their quietest moment. See how they stare back at you, that slow, soft blink. Such patience, so much kindness from an animal who will never speak a word.
My dear fellow humans, that’s their vibe. That is your dog’s energy. I know you feel it. It’s Love.
Michael Baugh teaches dog training in Sedona Arizona, Houston Texas, and online everywhere. He specializes in aggressive dog training.