by Sasha Riess | 08.02.26. | Behaviour
Can training be traumatic for dogs? The answer is yes. Training becomes traumatic not only when physical force is used, but also when a dog is punished through reward withdrawal, pressure, or manipulation.
Any method that uses fear, pain, or a loss of safety creates long-term behavioral change through trauma, not through understanding. When force produces a “result,” it is only by pushing the dog’s body into a state of shock—the brain registers danger, and the dog adapts out of fear.
What Falls Under Traumatic Dog Training?
Trauma is not just about physical hitting. It is created through various forms of pressure where the dog loses its sense of safety:
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Pulling the leash and choking.
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Using slip collars and prong collars.
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Electronic shock collars.
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Withholding rewards when the dog “fails to perform.”
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Any situation where the dog loses the power of choice.
Both physical punishment and reward withdrawal affect the dog’s nervous system in the same way: as a total loss of control.
Why Does Trauma Appear “Effective”?
Trauma works quickly because the body remembers. The dog stops the “undesired” behavior not because it learned a better way, but because it learned what must not be done to survive. This is adaptation to fear, not true learning.
Trauma creates adaptation to fear, not true understanding.
The Consequences of Fear-Based Training
Methods that rely on shock or coercion create a dog that:
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Constantly assesses danger instead of relaxing.
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Reacts from a state of chronic tension.
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Lacks a stable, trusting relationship with the owner.
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Loses the ability to make independent, calm decisions.
Structure Without Coercion: The Alternative
Avoiding traumatic training does not mean a lack of structure or rules. On the contrary, a dog needs a clear framework—but one built without threat or pain.
Stable behavior does not come from shock; it comes from safety, consistency, and understanding the language of dogs. If we want a reliable companion, we must stop using methods that function only because they produce fear.
This understanding of a dog’s emotional state is at the heart of everything we do. At Integrative and Holistic Grooming Education, we teach people how to apply these principles of safety and care, helping create calm, healthy, and happy results without trauma.
by Sasha Riess | 05.02.26. | Behaviour
Many dog owners believe their dog can pull them out of emotional pain, fix their inner struggles, or carry their stress and anxiety. But dogs are not therapists, psychologists, or rescuers. They do not have the tools or understanding to emotionally repair us or solve our problems.
Imagine this situation: You feel anxious, worried, or overwhelmed by life challenges and you often seek comfort in your dog. Although your dog offers love and closeness, it cannot resolve your worries. Instead, the dog absorbs your stress, senses your inner unrest, and may begin to suffer emotionally and physically.
A dog cannot say „give me a break“ or „this is too much for me.“ The dog simply reacts to your behavior and your energy. When people expect dogs to be saviors of their emotions, they unknowingly place their burden onto a being that has no capacity to carry it.
How Projected Stress Affects Dogs
When we place our problems onto a dog, we risk its health and happiness through:
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Physical health: Long-term stress in a dog can cause digestive issues, sleep disturbances, and lowered immunity.
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Emotional state: The dog becomes nervous or anxious and may develop destructive behavior or withdrawal.
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Bond with the owner: Constant exposure to negative emotions can weaken the sense of trust and safety in the home.
Separating human problems from the pet protects their happiness and health.
Owner and Dog: Establishing a Healthy Boundary
Separating human problems from the dog protects the dog’s happiness and health. Responsible ownership means protecting the dog’s peace, stability, and well-being, not loading it with a weight it was never meant to carry.
How to Properly Support Your Dog
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Separate your problems: Recognize when you use your dog as an emotional outlet and seek human support from friends, family, or professionals.
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Structured play and routine: Dogs function best in a stable environment. Consistent routine helps them remain calm.
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Mental and physical activity: Walks and play help the dog release its own stress, not yours.
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Emotional connection: Dogs offer comfort and love, but they cannot solve human problems. When this is understood, love becomes healthy for both sides.
A dog is not your savior. The dog loves and offers support, but cannot carry human emotional burdens.
This understanding of a dog’s emotional and physical state is at the heart of everything we do. At Integrative and Holistic Grooming Education, we teach people how to apply these principles of stability and care in their everyday lives with their dogs, helping create calm, healthy, and happy results.
by Sasha Riess | 05.02.26. | Behaviour
Dogs Are Not Trained but Understood Through Relationship
Dogs are not trained because a dog is not a machine, nor a program that needs to be “fixed”. A dog is a living being who enters into a relationship with a human, responds to the context in which it lives, and mirrors the state in which we exist. When we understand this, the need for training disappears and real work with the dog begins.
Why Classical Training Does Not Work
Dogs do not function through training because training implies control, commands, and correction. Understanding implies relationship, presence, and human responsibility. And this is where the difference arises that changes everything.
A dog living in an apartment is not the same dog as one living on the street. A dog living in a yard is not the same dog as one living inside a family. That is why there is no universal technique, no universal command, and no universal method for working with dogs.
Dogs Are Not Shaped by Commands but by Context
A dog is not “disobedient”. A dog responds to the circumstances in which it lives. When a dog pulls on the leash, barks constantly, refuses food, or shows anxiety, this is not disobedience. It is a message.
The dog is showing how it feels within the relationship, the space, and the structure provided by the human. Dogs are not trained to fit into our life; they are understood so they can be stable within it.
A dog always responds to the context in which it lives.
Learning Through State of Being, Not Words
A dog does not learn from words. A dog learns from a state of being. That is why a dog may “listen” to one person and completely ignore another. Not because it is stubborn, but because with each person it experiences a different relationship, a different sense of safety, and a different level of trust.
The boundaries a dog respects are not the ones we say, but the ones we live.
Dogs Are Not Projects nor Household Appliances
A dog is not here to fulfill our need for control, success, or perfect behavior. A dog is not a project. A dog is a companion. The more we try to “train” a dog, the more we distance it from ourselves. The more we learn to understand the dog, the more behavior changes naturally—without force, without punishment, and without trauma.
Dogs are not trained to be good. Dogs are understood so they can be stable.
This understanding of a dog’s emotional and physical state is at the heart of everything we do. At Integrative and Holistic Grooming Education, we teach people how to apply these principles of stability and care in their everyday lives with their dogs, helping create calm, healthy, and happy results.
by Sasha Riess | 04.02.26. | Behaviour
There are people who download the guide, read it right away, and start applying it. They reach out after two or three days:
There are also those who read more slowly, reflect, and return to certain parts of the text. Their messages arrive after a month. And then there are those who read it and do not believe it. They say: “Why would I even try this?”
How to Use the Dog Training Guide in Everyday Practice
Do not reject something just because it is unfamiliar to you. If you criticize something before trying it, how can you know that it does not work?
This approach has saved many dogs. Literally saved their lives. Thanks to this method, many dogs were not euthanized. Many dogs who could not be adopted from shelters learned how to adapt, accept humans, and rebuild trust.
Mistakes to Avoid When Applying a Dog Training Guide
Hundreds of thousands of people have gone through this program. Everyone who applied it consistently, without compromise, achieved results.
A dog reacts to what you do – not to what you have read.
The only reason results fail to appear is because:
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The program is not applied.
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The entire family is not aligned, so the dog receives mixed signals.
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Doubt exists and the application never truly begins.
What you never try can never help you.
This understanding of a dog’s emotional and physical state is at the heart of everything we do. At Integrative and Holistic Grooming Education, we teach people how to apply these principles of stability and care in their everyday lives with their dogs, helping create calm, healthy, and happy results.
by Sasha Riess | 03.02.26. | Behaviour
There is no breed manual. There is only the dog.
Dog behavior does not depend on breed, but on the environment in which the dog lives, the relationship built with humans, and the way the dog is shaped through experience. Many people search for instructions for specific breeds. The truth is simple: there is no manual for a breed. There is only the dog.
Why Breed Does Not Define Individual Dog Behavior
Just as a human is not defined by origin but by the environment in which they grow, the same applies to dogs.
Dog behavior depends on:
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The family in which the dog lives.
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The level of safety and stability.
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The way communication happens.
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Consistency and human presence.
Doberman, Belgian Shepherd, German Shepherd, Poodle, or Maltese all share the same basic canine language.
Every Dog Has Its Own Language and Relationship With the World
Every dog walks on four legs, eats and drinks in the same way, and communicates through body language, energy, and reactions. The difference is not in breed, but in:
This does not change the essence of dog behavior, only its expression.
A dog is a mirror of the system in which it lives.
There Is No Manual for the German Shepherd, Doberman, or Poodle
A common mistake owners make is searching for a manual for Dobermans, a special approach for German Shepherds, or different communication for small dogs.
The relationship between human and dog shapes behavior. Environment shapes behavior, not breed. The truth is simple: there is no breed manual. There is a behavior manual.
Basic principles are the same for all dogs:
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Clear boundaries.
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Calm presence.
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Understanding of signals.
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Consistency.
Dog Behavior as a Reflection of the Environment
A dog is a mirror of the system in which it lives. Its behavior is a result of what we give, what we withhold, and what we do (or do not do). As with humans, dog behavior is not corrected by a breed label, but by changing the relationship and the environment.
One Dog, One Language
When you take a dog, regardless of breed, you take a being with its own experience, its own way of perceiving the world, and a universal canine language. Understanding dog behavior does not begin with breed, but with observation, listening, and relationship.
This understanding of a dog’s emotional and physical state is at the heart of everything we do. At Integrative and Holistic Grooming Education, we teach people how to apply these principles of stability and care in their everyday lives with their dogs, helping create calm, healthy, and happy results.
by Sasha Riess | 03.02.26. | Behaviour
When a female dog is in heat, the first question owners ask is how to calm the hormones. However, it is important to say the truth immediately. Hormones do not calm down. They do their job. Just like in humans.
Hormones Do Not Calm Down: They Have Their Role
The heat period in a female dog in heat is a natural biological process. It is not a disorder, a problem, or a state that needs to be switched off.
Hormones in this period:
Just as a woman goes through phases of her cycle that cannot be turned off, a female dog goes through her own hormonal rhythm.
Why Trying to Calm Hormones Leads in the Wrong Direction
When we search for ways to calm the hormones, we are actually trying to control a natural process or avoid our own discomfort. But the dog is not asking for her hormones to be shut down. The dog is asking for a stable environment.
Practical Steps to Help a Female Dog in Heat
What helps is not working on hormones. What helps is working on:
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Structure.
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Routine.
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Consistency.
The biggest role in this period is our discipline. Not the discipline of the dog. The discipline of the human.
Routine and Clarity Instead of Attempts at Control
When a female dog in heat feels clear rules, it reduces stress. Predictability brings safety, and a calm human stabilizes the dog. A dog reacts to your behavior, tone, tension, and presence. Not to explanations.
A female dog in heat is not asking you to calm her, but for you to be calm.
A Manual as a Tool for the Human, Not for the Dog
If you do not have a clear behavioral system, heat will simply bring it to the surface. That is why these moments are not a time for experiments, but for consistent behavior according to rules that already exist.
A manual is not meant to fix the dog or stop hormones. It is meant to:
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Stabilize the relationship.
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Give you a behavioral framework.
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Help the dog rely on your safety.
Hormones Pass, The Relationship Remains
Heat has a beginning and an end. Hormones will withdraw on their own. What remains is how you behaved, how stable you were, and whether you were a support or an additional source of stress.
A female dog in heat is not asking you to calm her. She is asking you to be calm.
This understanding of a dog’s emotional and physical state is at the heart of everything we do. At Integrative and Holistic Grooming Education, we teach people how to apply these principles of stability and care in their everyday lives with their dogs, helping create calm, healthy, and happy results.
