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Problem Solving Unleashed: Practical tools to make training effective and approachable, while embracing curiosity, connection, and the beautifully chaotic realities of growth—for both dogs and their humans. |
You know that moment when your chair tips just enough to send a jolt through your system—but you don’t fall? Or when your foot barely misses a step and your whole body braces for impact—but you recover? Those almost moments happen way more than the times we actually hit the ground but we barely notice them.
Most of life happens in the middle. We brace for disaster or dream of perfection, and when neither happens we just move on. But that middle ground? That’s where the real patterns form—where small shifts, quiet wins and reinforcement moments stack up.
Noticing those almost moments—the foot that nearly missed the step, the conversation that almost went sideways—lets us refine instead of just react. And, when we start seeing them as practice instead of close calls we build something that lasts.
Let’s get into it.
Full-Throttle Energy Without the Wipeout
If you’ve got a Ferrari dog you already know—one second they’re standing still, the next, they’re gone. Full send. No brakes. The leash comes out? Instant chaos. A noise outside? Barking like their life depends on it.
Take the leash example—if your dog loses their mind every time you touch it then clipping it on in that state just feeds the cycle. Hype leads to action, then repeats. Instead, try anticlimactic exposure: pick up the leash and wait - not in forced silence, not in a battle for stillness—just long enough to break the pattern so excitement has space to rise and fade naturally.
Carry it around, set it down, pick it back up. No command, no pressure, just a shift in expectation—leash doesn’t mean immediate explosion. Over time, this teaches them how to regulate rather than just react, building endurance for excitement without tipping into chaos.
Fast dogs aren’t the problem—fast dogs without brakes are. And when they learn how to recover before takeoff? That’s when real progress happens.
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Embracing the Middle Ground
Our nervous systems don’t just react to what happens—they react to what we expect to happen. When we prepare for disaster or chase perfection we train ourselves to operate at extremes, making even small moments feel high-stakes.
The real skill is landing in the middle—the most likely outcome. But, if we only practice this in crisis mode, we turn it into a survival skill instead of an everyday one. Tolerance training works best in low-pressure moments, where we can build resilience before stress spikes.
Instead of expecting a spotless house or accepting total chaos, focus on one manageable goal—like having a functional walking space first. Instead of expecting a conversation to be effortless or bracing for conflict, aim for one intentional response.
When the skill is solid, high-pressure moments don’t control us. We’ve already built the muscle for regulation so that when stress spikes, it’s not something new to navigate—it’s just another rep of what we’ve practiced.
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Riding Out the Extremes
Being sick comes with a special feature: absolutely unhinged worst-case scenario thinking. That night when trying to go to sleep, my brain skipped right past reasonable concern and straight into a full cinematic disaster - a seizure, vomiting, my kids discovering my tragic demise before they even got on the bus. Solid, logical fears.
So, I did what any reasonable person would do—I let it run its course. Fully committed to the existential dread, I rode it out. But the next morning, I said it out loud. And somehow, hearing myself actually say the fear made me realize just how far off center I’d landed. Fear wasn’t stupid—but my brain had taken the scenic route all the way to doom instead of hovering anywhere near reality.
Tolerance lives in that middle zone—where fear isn’t dismissed but also isn’t handed full control. Most people avoid it, because sitting in uncertainty is uncomfortable. But that’s where the real adjustment happens.
You don’t have to love it—you just have to make it through and remind your brain that reality is still an option.
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To quote a close friend: “What if I don’t save the world?” Good. That wasn’t actually my job anyway.
Dogs don’t learn to regulate stress without practice. Neither do humans. It’s easy to cling to extremes—best-case optimism or worst-case disaster prep—but aiming for the middle? That takes focus. Adjusting expectations, responding instead of reacting, building the endurance to think even when excitement, pressure or frustration hit.
Today, I’m aiming for something repeatable, sustainable. Not flashy, not world-changing—just real. Maybe that means stepping outside for five minutes, or walking into the next conversation without expecting it to be incredible or unbearable.
And, the next time you almost fall out of your chair or miss that last step, just laugh. Call it practice. Now that you see it, you won’t be able to unsee it. You’re welcome.
Let’s explore what’s possible, together—with curiosity, compassion and a good dose of humor. |
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Rene Smith CCBC-KA
Rene Smith, a Certified Canine Behavior Consultant (CCBC-KA) with nearly a decade of experience working with aggressive dogs, brings a unique perspective to understanding behavior at both ends of the leash.
Find out more about working with me [here]
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