The city overwhelmed me

The city used to overwhelm me. When I first got here, I’d lunge at people and cars. Honestly, I thought they were lunging at me. Naturally, I also went for other dogs—I’m a terrier, after all, and I like to settle things right away. I barked a lot—on the street, in the house, in the stairwell.

Thankfully, my human is a total pro at urban life. She showed me that it’s possible to just walk around people. Seriously! Even cars can be dealt with that way—though that took us a bit longer. Now we’ve got strategies for everything. And in the park, I run with other dogs and feel genuinely happy—I’m not afraid of anything anymore!

It’s been a year. I’m way calmer now, even though I’ve never stopped being a terrier. I think I’ve done a pretty good job figuring out this city.

City life can be overwhelming for dogs, and it’s often hard to avoid stress overload. That’s why it’s so important not to treat barking or reactive behavior as disobedience. Scolding won’t help—but showing the dog how to cope with stress definitely will.

Just as important is offering chances for decompression—stress-free time to relax, let loose, and reset.

#citydog #terrierlife #reactivedog #progressnotperfection