PRINCIPLE 1 OF 10
Before we ask a dog to listen, we ask what they’re hearing, smelling, and seeing. Dogs process their environment through five senses that are often sharper, and more easily overwhelmed, than our own.
5 Senses We Assess
1st Focus, Every Session
Zero Assumptions Made
Dogs take in far more sensory information per second than people do. Sounds, scents, and movement that we barely register can dominate a dog’s attention, especially in unfamiliar or crowded spaces like sidewalks, cafés, or vet waiting rooms.
A dog who won’t “listen” on a walk usually isn’t being defiant, they’re saturated. Recognizing sensory load is the first step in every Marin K9 training plan, because a dog who is overwhelmed cannot learn, no matter how good the cue.
A dog that looks defiant is often just overwhelmed by what they’re sensing.
We start every private training session and behavior consultation by assessing what a dog is sensing in their everyday environments, home, neighborhood, car rides, before building any obedience or behavior modification plan around it.
Related reading: Why Your Dog Isn’t “Stubborn” — It’s Sensory Overload
Reading a dog’s sensory response before asking for anything at all.
The same dog, the same walk, two very different approaches.
BEFORE
AFTER
Curious what your dog is sensing that you’re missing? Let’s find out together.
Serving Sausalito, Marin County & the Bay Area since 1999.
