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

Beyond Obedience | Dog Training, Dog Body Language, Anxious Dogs, Scared Dogs, Reactive Dogs · Sep 7, 2026 · 25m

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…