Posted on June 18th, 2025 

Your Dog Feels Your Energy—Are You Sending the Right Message? Discover how your mindset affects dog training, behavior, and communication. Start leading with confidence today.

Dogs don’t speak English. But they communicate fluently in a language that humans often overlook—energy.

Every time you approach your dog, you’re sending a message through your posture, your breath, your tone, and even your mindset. Your dog feels your excitement, your stress, your hesitation, or your confidence. Whether you know it or not, you’re constantly training your dog—even when you’re not trying to.

At Underdog K-9 Academy, we tell every client the same thing: if you want to change your dog’s behavior, you have to start by changing your own energy. Dogs don’t follow unstable leadership. They don’t respond well to frustration or confusion. They thrive on calm, consistent, and confident guidance.

In short: your dog feels your energy—and their behavior reflects it.

Understanding Canine Communication

Canine communication is largely nonverbal. While dogs can learn to associate sounds and commands with actions, their default mode of understanding is instinctual. They read body language, pick up on energy shifts, and respond to emotional cues faster than most people realize.

Think about the last time you were tense. Did your dog suddenly seem more alert, jumpy, or reactive? Or when you were feeling anxious—did your dog mirror that anxiety?

That’s not your imagination. Dogs, especially those without structured training, are highly sensitive to emotional environments. In fact, they look to your energy for direction. If you're erratic, frustrated, or inconsistent, your dog won't know how to behave. But if you're grounded, calm, and assertive, your dog will relax and follow your lead.

That’s why our first priority in dog training isn’t to control the dog—it’s to balance the human. Dogs are natural followers, but they’ll only follow energy that feels safe and stable.

The Energy Behind Dog Training

Most people think that how to train your dog is all about commands, treats, and routines. And yes, those are important—but without the right energy behind those techniques, they fall flat.

If your dog senses frustration in your voice, tension in your leash grip, or hesitation in your movements, they’ll either resist or shut down. On the other hand, if you bring calm certainty to the interaction, they’re far more likely to engage, learn, and succeed.

Training is a conversation. Every command you give is either reinforced or undermined by the way you deliver it. Energy is what gives your training tools meaning.

Want to see results? Pay attention to the energy you’re sending before, during, and after every session.

Be the Energy You Want Your Dog to Mirror

Here’s the truth: your dog is always picking up on your energy and reflecting it back. That’s why mindset is everything in dog training. Here’s how to align your energy with the behaviors you want to see.

If you want a calm dog, bring calm energy.
If you’re constantly rushing, yelling, or yanking the leash, don’t be surprised when your dog is anxious or reactive. Dogs need space to think and time to process. When you slow down, so do they.

If you want a confident dog, bring leadership.
Dogs crave direction. Be consistent, clear, and intentional. Say what you mean and follow through. Wavering or uncertainty creates confusion—and confused dogs misbehave.

If you want a motivated dog, bring engagement.
Celebrate progress. Use your tone and energy to reward good behavior. Dogs love to feel like they’re winning with you. Keep training light, fun, and purposeful.

This alignment is what makes you a leader in your dog’s eyes—not because you dominate, but because you guide.

Your Dog Won’t Change Until You Do

This is the part no one likes to hear—but it’s the most important:

Your dog won’t change unless you do.

You can invest in a dog trainer, buy all the gear, and learn every technique—but if your energy and mindset don’t shift, your dog will keep mirroring the same old patterns.

Behavior doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s a reflection of the environment—and you are the biggest part of that environment.

Want different results? Show up differently.

That means:

• Staying calm when your dog reacts
• Resetting yourself before training sessions
• Being consistent in your rules and boundaries
• Reflecting on your emotions before blaming the dog

At Underdog K-9 Academy, we teach owners how to regulate their energy just as much as we teach dogs to follow commands. Because sustainable behavior change only happens when both ends of the leash are in alignment.

How to Start Leading with the Right Energy

Here are simple but powerful steps you can take today:

1. Check in with yourself before working with your dog

If you’re tense, irritated, or distracted, your dog will feel it immediately. Take a breath. Set an intention. Enter every session grounded and present.

2. Lead with calm clarity

Dogs don’t follow chaos. If you want your dog to trust you, you must lead with consistency. Say less, mean more. Let your energy speak louder than your commands.

3. Train with patience and repetition

Don’t expect perfection. Dogs, like humans, learn best through repetition and routine. Stay calm, even when mistakes happen. Frustration shuts down learning—for both of you.

4. Make adjustments, not excuses

If your dog’s behavior isn’t changing, ask yourself what you can do differently. Shift the environment, shift your energy, and adapt your approach. Blaming your dog only stalls progress.

The Importance of Energy in Puppy Development

It’s never too early to start shaping a dog’s understanding of leadership and energy. In fact, the earlier you begin, the better.

In our blog post Maximizing Results with Puppy Development and Training, we explain how critical it is to lay the foundation during your dog’s earliest developmental stages. Puppies absorb energy and behavioral cues rapidly—so what you model for them during this time becomes the template for how they see the world.

The key to effective puppy training isn’t just socialization or exposure. It’s intentional guidance through structured environments and balanced energy. Whether you're raising a new puppy or rehabbing an older dog, the principle remains the same: your energy sets the tone for your dog’s learning and behavior.

Training Isn’t Just for the Dog—It’s for You, Too

We get it. Life gets stressful. Dogs can push your buttons. Training takes time, and behavior change can be frustrating when progress feels slow.

But here’s the truth: every time you shift your energy, your dog feels it. Every time you show up calmer, more patient, and more grounded, your dog becomes more willing to follow.

Your energy is your dog’s compass. And whether you're leading them to success or confusion depends on how you show up.

If you're truly ready to change your dog's behavior, don't just focus on the symptoms—address the source. That means looking inward. Because a calm, confident, and consistent leader creates a dog who mirrors the same.

Ready to Take the Lead?

If you're struggling with reactivity, leash pulling, anxiety, or just feel like you're not connecting with your dog the way you hoped, we can help.

At Underdog K-9 Academy, our dog training programs are designed to empower both ends of the leash. We don’t just train dogs—we coach owners to bring the energy, structure, and mindset that truly changes behavior.

Let’s build the partnership you and your dog were meant to have.

Contact Us to start your journey toward clear communication, calm leadership, and lasting results.