Dog Training Success - Is Your Self Talk Keeping You Stuck?
Have you ever caught yourself thinking any of the following thoughts?
Yesterday I met a man with a black dog in the forest where I go for my daily walks.
As I approached him I thought there was something strange about the way he and his dog moved.
Getting closer I realized that he was holding two leads in his hands, one attached to his dog's collar and the other one wrapped around her waist! So I asked him if what I saw was right, that he was indeed holding onto his dog via two leads.
"Yes", he answered, "she is still so very boisterous!".
There he was, a tall, strong man in his best years having to attach two ropes to his one year old Schnautzer bitch in order to be able to take her for a walk.
Walking past me and the boys, my two Goldens, who were standing calmly by my side after I had told them to be steady he said: "That's where we need to get to yet".
Musing over what I had just seen I involuntarily thought: "You bet!", knowing that he and his dog would most likely never reach this goal.
How can I be so sure of that? Because by his very actions he was showing me that he felt inferior to his dog, that he felt she was a lot stronger than himself and that he needed not one, but two ropes to tame her.
Here is the secret: You lead your dog with your head and heart, not with a lead, a collar or any form of gadget.
Your dog's behavior is a mirror of your own internal state and he understands your self talk as commands.
Negativity about your own effectiveness in life shows up in your circumstances and if you happen to own an animal it will show up in your animal's behavior and your mutual relationship.
Understanding this simple yet much overlooked truth will help you in your dog training efforts, it will make you a better caretaker for your pooch and create happiness for both of you.
- Oh, he won't come anyway!
- She will not do as I say no matter what!
- This dog has a mind of his own and he is so much stronger than I am!
- She will never stop barking!
- No matter what I do, my dog always pulls on the lead!
- It's no good, I am not a born dog trainer and my dog will never be obedient!
- Why does this always happen to me?
- Why do I always have those problems with my dog?
- I have tried all those different things and he still won't do what I want him to do.
Yesterday I met a man with a black dog in the forest where I go for my daily walks.
As I approached him I thought there was something strange about the way he and his dog moved.
Getting closer I realized that he was holding two leads in his hands, one attached to his dog's collar and the other one wrapped around her waist! So I asked him if what I saw was right, that he was indeed holding onto his dog via two leads.
"Yes", he answered, "she is still so very boisterous!".
There he was, a tall, strong man in his best years having to attach two ropes to his one year old Schnautzer bitch in order to be able to take her for a walk.
Walking past me and the boys, my two Goldens, who were standing calmly by my side after I had told them to be steady he said: "That's where we need to get to yet".
Musing over what I had just seen I involuntarily thought: "You bet!", knowing that he and his dog would most likely never reach this goal.
How can I be so sure of that? Because by his very actions he was showing me that he felt inferior to his dog, that he felt she was a lot stronger than himself and that he needed not one, but two ropes to tame her.
Here is the secret: You lead your dog with your head and heart, not with a lead, a collar or any form of gadget.
Your dog's behavior is a mirror of your own internal state and he understands your self talk as commands.
Negativity about your own effectiveness in life shows up in your circumstances and if you happen to own an animal it will show up in your animal's behavior and your mutual relationship.
Understanding this simple yet much overlooked truth will help you in your dog training efforts, it will make you a better caretaker for your pooch and create happiness for both of you.
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