As the new year is off to a blazing start, many people have already made New Year’s resolutions. When I think of making a resolution, I immediately think I’m supposed to examine a “problem with my life,” or a fault I have, then resolve to stop doing whatever it is that causes that problem. I have to give up a guilty pleasure to see change. This doesn’t sound fun. Instead, I choose a smaller goal and maybe stretch it to the coming week. For those that know me, I’m a huge fan of a good alliteration or a snappy slogan.
My theme for this year is “More in 24.”
This means to strive for more of anything you enjoy. Owning a dog is one of life’s pleasures. Having “more” with our dogs can mean creating more joy, more time together, more moments of being present and calm, or more snuggles and pets.
My other word for this year is “and.” I’m using this word to acknowledge where we are today AND think about how we could grow to be “more” of whatever we desire.
We often need to be reminded that our dogs are ever changing and evolving sentient beings, just like us. They are not robots and don’t remain stagnant in a particular stage of development. To that end, it means we need to recognize their ever-changing challenges, AND evaluate our role in modifying them. It also means to set our intention of how we want to interact with our dogs, AND have a plan to work toward reaching that goal. Lastly, if the plan fails, it means to switch gears AND adjust the plan as necessary.
Dogs are miraculous at being a sponge; they take in all the information around them. They also become mirrors, and put their own spin on reflecting that energy back on us.
Through my many years of working with dogs, I have found they are simply trying to do the best they can in each situation they are in. Dogs are scavengers and survivors. They observe their surroundings (the sponge factor), look for patterns of behavior (mostly ours), and do what works best for them to live within our world (the mirror factor).
Over the holidays, our family visited Yosemite National Park. When we walked through this majestic landscape, our 7 year old poodle, Vivi, quickly became a different dog. She pranced with her head up high, constantly air scenting and scanning her environment with vigor. She knew this was the land of squirrels and she was going to find them! Honestly, it was annoying and embarrassing because we couldn’t walk in a relaxed fashion. She didn’t care that we were with her, she wanted to run with the wind and hunt to her hearts content. As we walked, we recognized her intent, AND were forced to adjust our walk accordingly. Instead of rushing through our walk, trying to stop her pulling, or get angry with her, we gave her more time to stop and sniff, climb on rocks, or stand and admire the surroundings. We had to switch into training mode to observe her moments of stillness AND reward them with a treat. These small gestures showed her that we recognized her excitement of being in a new place AND we still had something to offer her by paying attention to us. This was the shift in our behavior AND it worked. See how powerful the word “AND” can be?
Hopefully, when you are presented with your dog behaving in a way you didn’t expect, you can see their desire for “more,” then discover your AND moment. If you are ever perplexed with your dog’s behavior, reach out to a Certified Professional Dog Trainer or a Victoria Stilwell Positive Dog Trainer. We are experts at finding the “yes, and” in any situation.
