5. Saying “it’s okay” when your dog thinks it’s not
When our dogs are anxious, we want to comfort them. Often saying “it’s okay” in a soothing tone is our natural human response. But according to Healthy Pets (via Mercola), we’re training them to think the opposite.
If we use the phrase in conjunction with doing something they don’t like – for instance, taking them to the vet or as we’re trying to clip their nails – they learn to associate the phrase with things that aren’t okay!
If “it’s okay” means something bad is about to happen, that can really stress your dog out!
Next Up: Pointing or shaking a finger at her
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