If you've ever felt guilty about using a baby gate, keeping your dog on a leash, or closing a door to prevent a problem, this is for you. 

Management in dog training gets unfair criticism, and yet it's often the most compassionate, effective choice you can make.

Management gets a bad rap

I hear it all the time. Sometimes explicitly, sometimes sitting quietly underneath a client's guilt or frustration:

"It feels like cheating" 

"It's not real training" 

“But, my dog won’t learn”

And the gut punch, because you know it’s coming from the right place … "It’s so restrictive"

And yet… most of us use management every single day, without a second thought.

We put dogs on leashes so they don't run into the road. We shut gates. We close doors. We lock the front door when we leave the house. We pull the handbrake on when we park.

When humans have children, we call this responsible. We put gates on stairs. We cover power sockets. We put those lock gadgets on cupboard doors. No one suggests you should simply "teach better behaviour" and hope for the best.

So why does management suddenly get such a bad reputation when dogs are involved?

What do we actually mean by 'management'?

In a dog behaviour context, management means changing the environment to prevent problems from happening in the first place.

What management looks like in practice

• Baby gates or barriers
• Leashes or long lines
• Closed doors
• Visual barriers (like frosted window film or curtains)
• Controlled setups when visitors arrive
• Predictable routines that reduce stress
• Separate spaces for multi-dog households
• Quiet rooms during overwhelming events

Management is about preventing rehearsal of behaviours we don't want. Because those behaviours are unsafe, overwhelming, or simply not workable right now.

What management is not

• Giving up
• Ignoring the underlying issue
• A sign you've failed your dog
• A permanent solution (though some management becomes long-term and that's okay too)

Often, it's the opposite. Management is responsible, pro-active care.

Why management is often the most effective first step

When dogs are stressed, fearful, in pain, or overwhelmed, learning becomes incredibly hard. Impossible, often.

Their nervous system is already working overtime. Asking them to "do better" in situations that feel unsafe or uncomfortable adds more pressure, more stress, more fallout. Things become more unsafe.

Thoughtful management does a few very important things:

It puts the brakes on the spiral. Every time a dog rehearses a behaviour - whether that's lunging at visitors, fence-fighting with the neighbour's dog, or panicking when left alone -  that behaviour becomes more ingrained. Management stops the practice.

It reduces stress and arousal. A dog behind a barrier during a chaotic family gathering isn't missing out. They're being given the gift of safety and space to decompress.

It prevents repeated mistakes from becoming habits. The more a behaviour happens, the stronger the neural pathway becomes. Management interrupts that pattern.

It protects relationships. Between dogs and people, between dogs and other dogs, between you and your own nervous system. When everyone feels safer, connection becomes possible again.

In many cases, management is what gives everyone enough breathing room for change to even be possible.

But doesn't management make a dog's world smaller?

This is a common concern that I hear, and it's an understandable one.

Here's the reframe I offer:

An unmanaged world isn't a bigger world if it's frightening, painful, or overwhelming.

A dog who feels safe behind a barrier today may be able to cope with visitors tomorrow. A dog who isn't constantly being pushed past their threshold gets more chances to succeed.

In practice, good management now often expands a dog's capacity over time.

Management is not static - it can and should evolve

One thing to emphasise is this:

Your management plan is not set in stone.

Management should be:

• Flexible
• Responsive
• Adjusted as the dog's skills, comfort, health, and circumstances change

A dog might start behind a barrier when visitors arrive. Over time, that barrier might come down for short periods. Later, it might not be needed at all. Or,  it might still be part of the plan during busy or unpredictable situations.

For example, when my mother (elderly!) comes to visit, the first couple of days are chaos (that’s just real talk talking!). I use barriers to help everyone settle in. I put a barrier around mum's chair so she can have her cuppa in peace and the dogs can refresh their learning: hop on your beds and settle with a chewy. 

After a day or two, once everyone's settled and the novelty has worn off, and everyone has found their rhythm, the barriers come down. But during those initial hours? Management is what keeps everyone calm and safe.

Plans also change depending on context. What works on a quiet Tuesday afternoon may not be realistic during a loud family gathering. That's not failure; that's good decision-making.

But, beware too much management

Here's the other side of the coin: yes, management is valuable. But, too much management can spill over and become constant restriction. Without relief, this can make a dog's world smaller and more stressful.

So, how do you know when your balance is off?

Let the dog tell you.

If your management plan is working, you should see signs of relief: 

• your dog settling more easily, 
• showing more relaxed body language, 
• engaging with their environment in calmer ways.

If, instead you're seeing increased frustration, more stress behaviors (pacing, whining, destructiveness), shutdown, or a loss of joy and engagement … well, that's feedback worth listening to.

Dogs still need outlets for decompression, freedom, and choice

Even when management is necessary, dogs need:

• Safe spaces where they can move freely and make choices
• Opportunities for sniffy walks or other decompression activities
• Enrichment opportunities that allow autonomy (not just structured training)
• Time to simply be a dog
• Control over some aspects of their day (which bed to lie on, whether to engage with you, which toy to play with)

Management should create safety and breathing room. It shouldn't remove all agency.

Questions to ask yourself regularly

Because management plans should be fluid and context-specific, it helps to check in:

• Is this strategy still serving its purpose, or has it become a mindless habit?
• Is my dog showing signs of improvement, or are things staying the same (or getting worse)?
• What context am I in today? Do I need this right now?
• Am I using management as a stopgap while working on the underlying issue, or has this become my only strategy?

If management has become the entire plan, with no thought to building skills, health,  addressing underlying needs, or gradually expanding your dog's capacity .. then yes, you might be restricting their world too much.

But if it is part of a thoughtful, evolving approach that considers your dog's wellbeing, context, and readiness? Sweet, you're doing exactly what you should be doing.

Management for safety is still management (and it still counts)

Here's a very everyday example.

Today, before I went out, I put a barrier up to prevent Wolly getting into the spare room and jumping on the bed.

Wolly is 15. He has safe access to get on/off the bed. But, I didn't want him doing it while I wasn't home - I didn't want him potentially hurting himself when no one was there to help.

I could have closed the door instead. The outcome is the same: I prevented something I didn't want to happen. 

This is management. It's not limiting his life. It's being mindful of his safety and wellbeing.

Just like:

• Locking the front door when I leave
• Putting the handbrake on when I park
• Using a leash near traffic
• Closing the gate so dogs don't run into the road

None of these decisions mean I don't trust my dog. Or myself. They simply acknowledge reality, risk, and responsibility.

Management for safety isn't pessimistic. It's thoughtful care.

Management supports training, rather than replacing it

Here's what I want to be crystal clear about: management isn't instead of training. It's alongside it.

Management works best when paired with:

• Appropriate, compassionate training
• Meeting physical and emotional needs
• Enriching activities
• Attention to health, pain, rest, and recovery
• Building confidence and skills at the dog's pace

Rather than asking dogs to cope in situations they're not ready for, management creates the conditions where learning can happen.

It's not an either/or.

It's a both/and.

When management feels hard

I hear you. Management isn't always simple.

Maybe you:

• Live in a small space where barriers feel impossible
• Face judgment from family or friends who don't understand
• Feel physically limited in what you can set up
• Worry about what it means long-term
• Feel exhausted by the constant vigilance

These are real concerns. And they don't mean you're doing it wrong.

If management feels overwhelming, that's often a sign you need support.

Start small. One barrier. One strategy. One moment of relief. That's enough.

Permission, gently given

If you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or judged … this is your reminder:

Choosing management is not choosing the easy way out.

It's often choosing the most ethical and realistic option available right now.

Management can be temporary. It can and should evolve. It can change with context.

And often, it's exactly what helps shift the dial.

You're not failing your dog by using a baby gate. 

You’re not giving up by choosing a long line over off-leash freedom. 

You're not making their world smaller by creating safe, predictable routines.

You're doing your best with the information, resources, and capacity you have right now.

And that matters.

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If you’re unsure what thoughtful management might look like for your dog, that’s often where I start with clients. Not because it’s giving up, but because it’s how we build safer, calmer foundations for everything that comes next.

Curious? I provide in-home dog training and behaviour consulting in and around the Wellington region.