Why My Work Isn’t About “Training” Anymore
- Amy Lacey
- Nov 21
- 3 min read
Why behaviour problems rarely come from a lack of training, what’s happening beneath the surface, and how a holistic, safety-led approach transforms life for dogs and their people.
Why training isn’t working is a question many guardians ask when they’ve tried everything but nothing is changing.
This has been bubbling away for a long time, and it feels important to finally say it clearly.
I haven’t abandoned training – far from it.
But it’s no longer the centre of my work, and that shift sits at the heart of a more holistic dog behaviour approach.
The longer I’ve worked as a dog behaviourist, the more obvious it has become that many dogs who are struggling aren’t lacking in skills. They’re lacking in emotional safety, predictability, comfort, physical health, and the capacity to cope in their environment.
You can teach a dog a beautiful hand target.
You can sharpen up a recall.
You can shape tricks and engagement routines.
And yes – a dog can look impressive while doing all of these.
But none of that tells you what their nervous system is going through.
It doesn’t tell you whether their joints hurt.
It doesn’t tell you if they’re overwhelmed, underslept, or living in a world that feels unpredictable and unsafe.
That gap – the one between behaviour and the dog’s inner world – is where true behaviour change happens. And it’s where my work now lives.
Why Training Isn’t Working ... It’s the Expectation Placed On It
Training is valuable.
Training can support communication, predictability, and day-to-day life.
Training is part of force-free, relationship-based work.
But training is not:
behavioural medicine
a pain assessment
trauma recovery
emotional rehabilitation
a diagnostic tool
And when relied on as the answer, it can unintentionally suppress communication.
A dog who looks calm, quiet, or compliant could simply be overwhelmed, inhibited, or bracing.
My role is not to create compliant dogs.
My role is to create safe, understood, emotionally supported dogs who can breathe again.
What Actually Addresses the Root of Behaviour Problems?
Not more drills.
Not more engagement games.
Not increasing criteria or rehearsing cues until the behaviour “sticks”.
Real change comes from:
🌿 Veterinary investigation into pain, GI issues, sleep, hormones, and neurological factors
🌿 Environments that don’t constantly push dogs into overload
🌿 Predictability and decompression to support the nervous system
🌿 Trauma-informed handling and a pace the dog can genuinely manage
🌿 Understanding attachment patterns and the dog-caregiver relationship
🌿 Contextual analysis instead of behaviour labels
🌿 Reducing pressure and restoring agency
🌿 Supporting guardians, not just training dogs
🌿 Species-appropriate needs: movement, rest, scent, exploration, companionship
🌿 Emotional safety as the foundation for all learning
This is the type of holistic dog behaviour support that actually transforms lives.
Why I Stepped Back From Training as the ‘Fix’
Because the goal was never a perfect heel.
The goal was never a photogenic recall.
The goal was never to create a dog who holds everything together while feeling overwhelmed inside.
The goal is a dog whose nervous system isn’t constantly braced for impact.
A dog who can communicate without fear of being corrected.
A dog who experiences emotional safety, not just behavioural control.
The goal is relationship, wellbeing, and long-term change.
That’s the work I choose to stand behind.
Where Training Still Fits In
Training absolutely has a place – but it now supports wellbeing rather than overshadowing it.
These days, training in my practice is used:
✨ to create tiny moments of communication
✨ to offer predictable patterns when the world feels too big
✨ to support choice-making and agency
✨ to introduce new skills gently
✨ to help a body move comfortably
✨ to rebuild confidence and exploration
Training is the toolbox. Healing is the journey.
And my work sits firmly in that journey.
If Your Dog Is Struggling
For many dogs, the real reason why training isn’t working has nothing to do with skills and everything to do with safety and nervous system overload.
You don’t need to train harder.
You don’t need stricter routines or more cues.
You don’t need to hide distress with behaviours that look good on the outside.
You need a framework that acknowledges the whole dog:
🧠 the nervous system
❤️ the emotional world
🦴 the physical body
🌍 the environment
👥 the relationship
⏳ the pace your dog can genuinely cope with
This is the foundation of trauma-informed dog behaviour and relationship-based work.
This is what Wild K9s is built around now.
And this is why I’ve stepped back from relying on training as the solution.
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