If you’ve ever attended one of our dog training sessions, then you’re likely aware that dog training isn’t really about your dog. It’s about you. It’s about teaching you how to talk to your dog, what to expect from your dog, how to make sure your dog is getting what they need, how to “punish,” how to “reward,” and so much more.

So, it might come as little surprise that your mental health might play a role in dog training as well.

Your dog senses your emotions. Your dog knows when you’re happy. It knows when you’re sad. Perhaps, most importantly, it knows when you are anxious and depressed.

Much like a child, our dogs are learning from us all the time. Sometimes, they even have a better sense of what we feel than we do.

Imagine if you have social anxiety. You experience a lot of fear when you’re around people. Now, imagine that your dog senses that fear, even if you do not say it or show it aloud. Your dog might:

• Bark at people because it thinks they’re a threat.
• Run away from people because it thinks they’re dangerous.
• Feel unsafe at home because they sensed your anxiety during the day.

Your dog could also show unwanted behaviors as a result. As their owner, they may expect you to help lead them, but your anxiety makes them feel unsafe and has them fighting for their place in the pack. Or, perhaps, they develop anxiety that affects them over time – even when you’re not in an anxious situation – leading to chewing behaviors or anxiety urination.

Other mental health conditions, like depression, can also make your dog feel more stressed about the world. These conditions can also affect how you act around your dog. You need to be calm and patient, for example, and yet depression can make people irritable and short tempered. Your dog needs a lot of walks, and yet poor mental health can sap your energy.

These are only some of the many examples of situations in which your emotions and your mental health can affect your pet, and a good reminder that addressing your own needs can play a very important and effective role in helping your dog’s behaviors as well.

Focusing on Yourself for Your Dog

We love our dogs. We want what’s best for them. Sometimes, that means addressing what’s best for us, including finding ways to improve our mental health. Luckily, our dogs can play a role in that, reducing anxiety and helping us feel more at peace. But, above all else, recognizing that our emotions can affect our pets is a good first step in deciding that we’re ready to treat our own mental health, so that our dog doesn’t struggle either.