Develop Confidence: Build A Belief System

Confidence is the cornerstone of success. It empowers handlers and dogs to take risks, face challenges, and pursue goals. While some dogs appear naturally confident, for many, confidence is a skill that must be cultivated over time. Building confidence is about developing a healthy belief in your dog, in you and your abilities as well as in its own. 

The foundation of confidence begins with understanding your dog's strengths and weaknesses. When you know what your dog is good at and where you need improvement, you can set achievable goals and work toward them with clarity, rather than trying to meet someone else's expectations. 

The tones you use while working your dog play a critical role in shaping confidence. The way you speak to your dog influences its mindset and behavior. Replacing correction with direction, when possible, can shift your perspective and boost your dog’s confidence. It’s important to reframe failures as learning opportunities rather than problems. 

Working your dog so the dog does not feel overwhelmed or over faced by the livestock is important. An example is when teaching the dog to drive; make sure the stock have a place to go so when the dog steps into pressure the stock can move off, creating confidence and understanding in both livestock and dog. Success breeds confidence, and even minor accomplishments can have a significant impact. By breaking things into manageable steps, you create a sense of momentum and build trust with your dog.  

Corrections are part of communication, but over correction will break down a dog. Every time you break down a dog's confidence you must build it back or you are left with less dog. A handler can correct the dog for things that it knows, being careful with corrections on things that it’s learning. This helps teach the dog to be responsible for its choices while at the same time teaching it it can make choices. A positive environment helps build trust and confidence in your dog. It’s also important to note here that over supporting or over directing also breaks down confidence. It may build reliance on the handler, and the dog never learns to be confident in itself.

 Working livestock is full of setbacks, but confident dogs learn to bounce back and keep moving forward. When working dogs and livestock, accepting failure, learning from it, and maintaining a confident mindset is important for growth and learning. Each challenge overcome, reinforces your dog's (and your own) confidence and ability to handle future obstacles. 

Preparation and practice are important in building confidence in you and your dog. When dog and handler learn that making mistakes (possibly many time) is only part of learning, it is then that they can truly put in the effort to grow, without fear of failure.  Preparation reduces anxiety and increases competence. This is where your dog having an understanding of your commands and having a clear expectation for those commands are important. With trust and clear expectations for commands, you can help your dog through difficult situations.  The more it's practiced, the more familiar and comfortable tasks become. Your dog's confidence grows when it feels success in the tasks and appreciation from you. Your enjoyment and relationship with your dog will grow as well. You will gain the confidence in your dog to try harder and more complicated tasks. The more you accomplish the more you will see that growth for you and your dog will only be limited by your effort and imagination.