A dog that barks, pulls, jumps, or stops listening to you is not necessarily being disobedient: they may simply be **overwhelmed by their emotions**. 🟢 As long as they can observe, eat, look at you, and disengage from what is happening, they are still mentally available. 🔴 If they stare, bark, pull, flee, or seem unable to hear you anymore, they are probably **over their emotional threshold**. In that case, the most useful response is often to **increase the distance, reduce the difficulty, and give them time to settle again**. 🧠 Self-control is learned gradually: waiting, disengaging, turning away, and returning to their human despite a distraction. 👉 The goal is not to suppress emotions, but to help the dog **manage them more effectively**.

1️⃣ Discovery, in a calm environment such as the training field at margeridecanin.fr. 2️⃣ Confirmation, with a gradual variation of stimuli. 3️⃣ Consolidation, through many repetitions in different places and situations. This final yet essential stage is often overlooked: when the dog begins to succeed, we may assume that the goal has been achieved and stop training too soon. Emotional regulation—including self-control—also develops throughout this process. As every dog is different, a thorough assessment and personalised support for the human–dog team remain essential.

🐶 **Practical Tip – What if your dog used their nose more?** We often think that dogs mainly need physical exercise. But **mental stimulation** is just as important. 👃 And for that, one of their best tools is their sense of smell! From simply **sniffing freely during walks**, to searching for treats, tracking, mantrailing, or scent detection, dogs have to: 👉 search 👉 concentrate 👉 think 👉 make decisions 👉 persist 🧠 This kind of work is also very useful for developing **self-control**: instead of reacting immediately to everything around them, dogs gradually learn to slow down, stay focused, and manage their impulses more effectively. 🐕‍🦺 This is also why I regularly use **scent work as a tool in the rehabilitation of reactive dogs**. At the right distance and while the dog remains below their emotional threshold, it can help them disengage from a trigger, regain focus, and learn to make different choices. And it can all start very simply: 🌿 **On your next walk, perhaps walk a little less… and let your dog sniff a little more!**