by Sasha Riess | 30.03.26. | Behaviour
Punishing a dog is never the solution. It leaves lasting consequences not only for the dog but also for us. Instead of control and force, the real path leads through love, understanding, and trust. Our approach to discipline is perhaps the most profound reflection of the human dog relationship.
My View on Canine Behavior
Today I live with a dog who behaves beautifully. He follows me, listens, and walks at my side. At first glance, it looks perfect, but I always ask myself one question: At what cost?
When a dog’s behavior comes solely from our will and pressure, that behavior is no longer natural, but imposed. Such an approach leaves deep traces, and the consequences often show up later as various health problems. We are seeing more and more dogs suffering from epilepsy, tumors, and other serious diseases. While many search for the cause in poor nutrition or vaccinations, few stop to ask whether these physiological factors are the only explanation. Could the suppression of a dog’s soul within the human dog relationship be the silent trigger for physical decay?
A Harmonious Relationship Between Owner and Dog
Punishing a dog does not create obedience; it creates a „Janissary“—a being stripped of its own will. Love and understanding are the only materials that can build a real, lasting relationship.
Punishing a dog does not lead to obedience — love and understanding build a true relationship.
The Question I Ask Myself
When I am faced with a choice in how to respond to my dog, I always remember one thing: Every time I punish him, I am actually punishing myself.
Our choices in how we treat our dogs mirror our inner world. If I choose the path of strict control and force, it means I carry inner insecurities that I project onto him. The human dog relationship acts as a mirror, showing us the parts of ourselves we are afraid to face.
Why This Is Not Easy to Accept
It may sound simple: Do not punish your dog, love him, and let him be who he is.
But if it were easy, people would effortlessly give up bad habits, stop eating food that harms them, or leave toxic environments. Life would be much simpler. In reality, it takes courage and deep honesty to admit that the way we treat our dog is a reflection of how we treat ourselves. True healing begins when we stop seeking control and start seeking connection.
At Integrative and Holistic Grooming Education, we believe that precision in nutrition is a reflection of our care. When we measure with love, we feed the soul. Explore our philosophy: Linktree Sasha Riess
by Sasha Riess | 24.03.26. | Behaviour
Learn how to teach your puppy to use a pee pad — with tips on space management, routine, and proper guidance.
Many puppy owners face the same challenge: how to properly teach their dog to pee on a pad. It’s a process that requires patience, consistency, and an understanding of canine nature.
Why Doesn’t the Puppy Use the Pad?
Dogs instinctively avoid soiling the area where they sleep. If your puppy pees all over the house, the causes may vary:
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Too much water intake – dogs that drink large amounts of water will naturally urinate more often.
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Diet – dry kibble that’s constantly available increases thirst, while cooked or moist food reduces water intake and the frequency of urination.
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Stress and adaptation – a puppy that has just arrived in a new home often pees or poops uncontrollably because it feels separation anxiety from its mother and littermates.
Step-by-Step: How to Teach a Puppy to Use the Pad
1. Limit the space
In the beginning, set up a small area for your puppy — one side for sleeping, the other for the pee pad. This helps the puppy learn to distinguish between rest and potty zones.
2. Gradually expand the area
Once the puppy starts using the pad regularly, slowly allow access to a larger part of the home — but always keep the pad clearly visible and easily accessible.
3. Watch your puppy’s habits
Puppies usually pee right after eating or drinking. During these moments, gently guide your puppy to the pad and encourage it to use it.
Rewarding is a key part of teaching a puppy to use a pee pad.
4. Reward and be patient
Every time your puppy pees on the pad, praise and reward it immediately. Consistency and positive reinforcement are key to faster learning. Avoid punishment — it only creates fear and delays progress.
Practical Tips
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Keep the pad clean and in the same location.
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Establish a feeding and walking routine to help your puppy develop predictable habits.
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During the first few days, accidents are normal — stay calm and consistent.
Building Understanding Through Connection
Teaching a puppy where to pee is not just training — it’s communication. When you lead with patience and awareness, your puppy learns trust and balance, not just rules.
At Integrative and Holistic Grooming Education, we believe that every lesson is an opportunity to deepen the bond with your companion. True education is built on trust, not force. Explore our philosophy: Linktree Sasha Riess
by Sasha Riess | 24.03.26. | Behaviour
Negative influence on a dog is rarely the result of intentional cruelty. Much more often, it comes from the unconscious transfer of emotions, trauma, and inner conflicts from the owner. Dogs do not understand words the way humans do, but they deeply sense the emotional state of the person they live with. When a dog becomes a place where unresolved problems are discharged, the consequences inevitably appear in the dog’s behavior.
When a Dog Becomes an Emotional Support
Many owners unconsciously project their trauma onto their dog. They talk to the dog as if it were a therapist, confide their problems, and expect understanding. The dog does not respond with words, but it absorbs the emotional burden that does not belong to it.
Such a relationship does not heal the human, but it deeply burdens the dog.
Transferring Trauma Across Generations
If a person grew up in an environment of violence, emotional coldness, or manipulation, those same patterns are often transferred to the dog, usually in a milder form. There may be no physical violence, but there is control, emotional pressure, passive aggression, or constant tension. This is a negative influence on the dog that often goes unnoticed until it becomes serious.
How a Dog Shows That It Is Carrying Your Burden
Dogs clearly signal when they are under emotional pressure:
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Constant tension or withdrawal
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Excessive attachment to the owner
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Fear without a clear cause
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Digestive or skin problems
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Unexplained aggression or apathy
These are not “bad dogs.” These are dogs carrying emotions that are not theirs
Dogs feel and absorb the inner conflicts of their owners.
Love Is Not Projection
If we only know how to love through control, fear, or pain, the dog becomes a victim of our patterns. Loving a dog does not mean transferring our wounds onto it. It means taking responsibility for our own inner state.
A dog is not therapy. A dog is a living being that reacts to the truth we live. Recognizing that you are negatively affecting your dog requires an honest look inward. A dog does not need a perfect owner, but a stable human being. When you begin to carry your own emotions, the dog will be the first to show relief.
At Integrative and Holistic Grooming Education, we believe that the mirror of a dog’s soul reflects the clarity of its owner’s heart. True well-being starts with emotional responsibility. Explore our philosophy: Linktree Sasha Riess
by Sasha Riess | 20.03.26. | Behaviour
A hyperactive dog can be a real challenge for any owner. Their endless energy, jumping, and impulsive reactions often create stress and make daily life difficult. But there is a solution — with the right techniques, patience, and understanding, it’s possible to teach your dog calmness and build a stronger relationship.
Why Does a Dog Become Hyperactive?
A dog that seems hyperactive is usually reacting to external stimuli rather than learning how to respond to them. When a dog is in a reactive state, his brain is fully occupied with outside impressions — he jumps, pulls the leash, barks at other dogs or people, all depending on his perception of the world. In other words, the dog isn’t thinking — he’s reacting.
Our task as owners is to help him move from reaction to response, from impulse to awareness.
How to Teach Calmness
1. Don’t Reward Hyperactivity The most common mistake owners make is reacting right away when the dog gets too excited. For example, the dog jumps up when he sees the leash, overjoyed because he’s going for a walk. If you head out immediately, you’re actually rewarding his hyperactivity.
2. Leash Exercises One of the most effective techniques is to use the leash as a training tool, not just a signal for a walk.
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Take the leash and move it from one hand to the other.
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Clip it onto your dog, then remove it.
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Repeat this several times.
That way, the dog can’t predict what will happen next and learns that being calm is the only way to actually get what he wants — to go outside.
The leash is a training tool, not just a signal for a walk.
3. Teach Your Dog to Think, Not React The goal of this approach is to develop the dog’s ability to think instead of acting on instinct. When a dog learns not to anticipate your moves, he enters a state of learning. This is a physiological process — a dialogue between neurons — where every impulse can become action, but doesn’t have to. Through these small exercises, the dog becomes more stable, less reactive, and more willing to cooperate with his owner.
The Key: Patience and Consistency
Calming a hyperactive dog doesn’t happen overnight. It takes repetition, patience, and consistency. Over time, the dog learns that only calm behavior leads to reward — whether it’s a walk, playtime, or your attention. Through this process, the dog starts to rely on you, seeing you as the leader of the pack — and that gives him both security and peace.
At Integrative and Holistic Grooming Education, we teach that a calm mind leads to a calm body. Training is not about control, but about creating a shared language of peace. Explore our philosophy: Linktree Sasha Riess
by Sasha Riess | 20.03.26. | Behaviour
Building trust with a dog does not always mean petting or playing. True trust is revealed in moments when a dog has to experience something it does not enjoy: nail trimming, paw washing, or body care. In those moments, the way we behave determines whether we strengthen the relationship or create resistance and stress.
How to Build Trust With a Dog When Something Feels Unpleasant
When you need to do something your dog does not enjoy, it is important that you approach the dog, rather than calling the dog to you. Calling a dog to come and then exposing it to an unpleasant experience can seriously damage trust and later weaken the dog’s response to recall.
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Prepare everything in advance: scissors, towel, reward.
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Approach the dog calmly, without announcing what will happen and without talking.
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Take the dog gently, but decisively.
This way, the dog does not enter a state of anticipation and fear, because there is no verbal buildup signaling that something unpleasant is coming.
Why Silence Builds Trust With a Dog
Many owners make the same mistake: they talk to the dog during an unpleasant procedure. “Good boy,” “Sweetheart,” “It will be okay.” Although it sounds gentle, this actually increases tension. Silence sends a clear message to the dog: this is normal, nothing dramatic is happening. Calmness and a short duration of the procedure help prevent the development of negative emotional reactions.
Nail Trimming and Trust With a Dog
Nail trimming is one of the most common reasons trust is lost. Instead of cutting all nails at once, it is much healthier to work gradually:
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One nail
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Short pause
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Reward
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Finish
The next day, another nail. There is no rush. The dog has lived with those nails for months or even years, a few more days will not cause harm. This approach builds trust without creating trauma.
Silence and consistency help a dog accept unpleasant procedures.
How to Build Trust With a Dog During Paw Washing
The same rule applies to paw washing. Do not call the dog to come so you can wash its paws. You approach the dog. Without words. Without explanations. Quick, gentle, and clear. This is especially important with puppies, whose brains are highly plastic. How they experience care now can shape their relationship with these situations for life.
Reward Comes After, Not During
The reward should come after the procedure is finished, not during it. This helps the dog associate calm acceptance with a positive outcome, rather than constant emotional stimulation. Trust with a dog is not built through words, but through consistent, calm behavior.
At Integrative and Holistic Grooming Education, we believe that true connection is built in silence. When you approach a dog with calm intent, you become their source of safety. Explore our philosophy: Linktree Sasha Riess
by Sasha Riess | 15.03.26. | Behaviour
Dogs simply react to the environment we create for them. We assign them rules and behaviors we believe are correct. Every owner wants the best for their dog, just as we want the best for our children.
At the end of a dog’s life, we often see how successful we were in that intention, or how much we struggled. That final “reflection” of our love brings back everything the dog has lived through, and that is what frightens us and hurts us the most.
Lessons We Learn Through Caring for a Dog
The choices we make are rarely wrong because we wanted them to be. More often, we simply did not know better. However, the problems and challenges that arise become more intense over time, and the responsibility carried by the dog’s owner becomes greater.
How Supporting Dogs Can Transform Their Experience
Through attention, proper nutrition, and understanding their emotional needs, we can reduce a dog’s stress and offer them a healthier and calmer life. Supporting dogs through nutrition and daily care is not just an act of love. It is also a form of education for the owner, a chance to understand how our decisions affect them and how we can correct our mistakes.
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Bone broth for dogs: A natural recipe to support joint health and immunity.
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Separation anxiety: Understanding why a dog cries when left alone and how to build their confidence.
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Modern challenges: A dog in an urban environment is a symbol of how city life affects canine wellbeing.
Dogs live through our choices and carry the weight of our environment.
Nutritional Support as the Foundation of a Healthy Life
When we understand that supporting dogs through nutrition directly affects their immunity, behavior, and resilience to stress, we realize that food is not a small detail. It is the foundation of their stability. If we want to truly be their sense of safety, it is essential that we show that care through the way we feed them, offering what their body and mind genuinely need.
At Integrative and Holistic Grooming Education, we believe that communication is felt, not forced. We teach you how to listen to your dog’s soul instead of just commanding their body. Explore our philosophy: Linktree Sasha Riess
