Life can be a blur of motion and a cacophony (my new favorite word I just discovered in the book I’m currently reading and I just couldn’t wait to use it – threw it in my very first sentence! For those uninformed, as I was a day ago, it means a combination of discordant sounds) of noise. Our days race by, the next faster than the last, and if we’re not careful we can get caught up in the wake and not realize it.
I don’t know about you, but most of the time I find it hard to concentrate and focus on the task at hand because my mind is racing through my to-do list and mentally sorting out my upcoming obligations. I’m constantly multi-tasking as much as possible in an attempt to squeeze in everything that needs to be done.
This constant busy mental motion creates a less than appealing state of mind, specifically in relation to our interactions with others. When we’re rushing around with a busy mind we will be more easily frustrated, have a short temper, won’t listen well and leave bad impressions on those we come into contact with.
Although we may be aware of this happening with our family and friends, we may not realize how it affects our relationship with our dog. Our dogs are more sensitive than our human associates and are more easily influenced by a hurried, frustrated state of mind.
Dogs are very aware of how we’re feeling and their behavior will often reflect our energy. If your dog is acting up and you get easily frustrated and impatient, your dog will only respond with similar negative energy – usually in the form of his annoying behavior of choice. This will cause you to become even more frustrated and angry because now what should have taken you a few minutes to accomplish is quickly doubling and tripling in time.
Nothing good will come when you are in a rushed or impatient. There is a way to break this cycle and stop your mind before it derails, and it won’t take you any additional time out of your busy schedule because it’s something you are already doing: breathing.
Breathing may be something we do all the time, each and every day, but we rarely give it much thought and often take for granted its importance. I recommend taking a second or two to take a big deep breath before you begin any interaction with your dog. This one, cleansing breathe will help facilitate being calm and make you take note of how you are feeling. You will be surprised what a big impact this simple exercise can have on your interactions with your dog (and people). Before you enter into situations where you typically get frustrated, take a brief moment to take one big, cleansing breath. The more you do this throughout your day, the greater the positive change in your state of mind will be.
So start right now – take a deep breathe . . . Feels good doesn’t it.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
The Time is Now
This weekend I did a phone consultation with a family with an aggressive Rottweiler. In addition to being very aggressive with strangers, he also shows aggressive behavior toward his human family. He will not let anyone handle him, resource guards just about everything, and cannot safely be taken to the vet.
I learned that the dog is eight years old and when asked how long the dog has been exhibiting the aggression, I was told for pretty much his entire life. For eight years his aggression has been slowly escalating and they have been living a life of constant management of it.
Recently, the dog was diagnosed with Diabetes which requires them to give insulin shots to him twice a day. When they attempted to give him the shots he reacted aggressively toward them. Without the insulin he will get weak and eventually die. That’s when they called me.
I did my best to give them some suggestions on how to best give the shots with some kind of safety, as well as how to work on changing his reactive behavior, but I didn’t have much confidence that it would be successful.
Early on Sunday, I emailed them inquiring on how things were going. The response I got was disheartening but not unexpected. They attempted to give him his injection but were unable to do it safely. Without the insulin, the dog got gradually weaker and they had to make the hard decision to put him down.
Eight years ago this aggression began, was unaddressed and continued to escalate. This did not have to end up way. Some of you may be quick to judge this family and wonder how could they have let it come to this? How could they not have done something about the aggression long ago? These questions seem reasonable but these were not bad people who didn’t care about their dog. They are like so many dog owners out there that either don’t see the issues with their dog realistically, or assume that they will get better without taking steps to correct them. It’s more common than you think.
The time to fix the issues with your dog is right now. Waiting and hoping they will improve will rarely do anything but make the rehabilitation harder and more time consuming. It’s all a numbers game. The longer your dog has been doing a behavior, the longer it will take to change it. It is possible to improve any dog’s behavior, but if they’ve been acting a certain way for years, things are not going to change in a week or two. And the longer you wait and trickier it is to work with.
So if your own dog has some issues that are concerning you, don’t wait, hoping for the best. Get proactive and start taking the steps today to improve the situation as soon as possible. Your dog is worth it.
I learned that the dog is eight years old and when asked how long the dog has been exhibiting the aggression, I was told for pretty much his entire life. For eight years his aggression has been slowly escalating and they have been living a life of constant management of it.
Recently, the dog was diagnosed with Diabetes which requires them to give insulin shots to him twice a day. When they attempted to give him the shots he reacted aggressively toward them. Without the insulin he will get weak and eventually die. That’s when they called me.
I did my best to give them some suggestions on how to best give the shots with some kind of safety, as well as how to work on changing his reactive behavior, but I didn’t have much confidence that it would be successful.
Early on Sunday, I emailed them inquiring on how things were going. The response I got was disheartening but not unexpected. They attempted to give him his injection but were unable to do it safely. Without the insulin, the dog got gradually weaker and they had to make the hard decision to put him down.
Eight years ago this aggression began, was unaddressed and continued to escalate. This did not have to end up way. Some of you may be quick to judge this family and wonder how could they have let it come to this? How could they not have done something about the aggression long ago? These questions seem reasonable but these were not bad people who didn’t care about their dog. They are like so many dog owners out there that either don’t see the issues with their dog realistically, or assume that they will get better without taking steps to correct them. It’s more common than you think.
The time to fix the issues with your dog is right now. Waiting and hoping they will improve will rarely do anything but make the rehabilitation harder and more time consuming. It’s all a numbers game. The longer your dog has been doing a behavior, the longer it will take to change it. It is possible to improve any dog’s behavior, but if they’ve been acting a certain way for years, things are not going to change in a week or two. And the longer you wait and trickier it is to work with.
So if your own dog has some issues that are concerning you, don’t wait, hoping for the best. Get proactive and start taking the steps today to improve the situation as soon as possible. Your dog is worth it.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
A Day in Your Dog's Fur
The more I’m around dogs the more I realized how they hold the secret to a happy life. No, I don’t mean butt sniffing and leg humping (although I do enjoy both now and again). I’m talking about the things that really matter.
Most people have heard that dogs are present-minded creatures, which means that they “live in the moment” and don’t spend a second thinking about what happened in the past or what’s on tap for the future. Although you’re probably already aware of this, have you ever contemplated it and realized the simple power of it?
Dogs are all about the here and now. They don’t care what horrible things happened just five minutes ago, and are totally unaware of any unpleasant things on the agenda in the future. They don’t dwell on their mistakes and are unconcerned about their potential failures of tomorrow.
Dogs make the best of every situation that comes their way. They don’t look at the dogs around the neighborhood, envying them if they have a bigger house, nicer collar or a live with a human with more time to spend with them. No, they truly appreciate everything in their life, no matter what.
Our dog’s biggest pleasures come from the simplest (and most inexpensive) events. They jump for joy (sometimes literally) at the proposition of a walk – even when it’s only around the block; totally enjoy the bliss of a sunbeam to lie in; and reach the same level of crazy excitement each and every time you throw their favorite squeaky toy (usually the one way past its prime, that has very little stuffing left and a smell that is so unique that it defies adjectives).
There is never any judgment about anything either. Our dogs don’t care how much money we make or if we gain a few pounds, and they don’t hold grudges if we break a promise or come home late. No, they greet us with the same happy smile and friendly wag of their tail no matter what.
We can learn a lot from out dogs if we just open ourselves up to what they have to teach. So, I invite you to take at least one day to live like a dog. Whatever you are doing today, give it your 100% attention. Don’t think about the next task, the rest of the day’s responsibilities, or the crap that hit the fan an hour ago. Just embrace what you’re doing fully. Be on the lookout for many amazing, simple pleasures present in everyday life. Take a moment to hear the birds singing in the morning, truly appreciate your car, and greet all your family and friends with all of the love and energy that your dog shows you.
We spend lots of time trying to train our dogs how to live in the human world, take one day to let them show us how to live the life of a dog: a life of simple pleasures and daily joys.
Most people have heard that dogs are present-minded creatures, which means that they “live in the moment” and don’t spend a second thinking about what happened in the past or what’s on tap for the future. Although you’re probably already aware of this, have you ever contemplated it and realized the simple power of it?
Dogs are all about the here and now. They don’t care what horrible things happened just five minutes ago, and are totally unaware of any unpleasant things on the agenda in the future. They don’t dwell on their mistakes and are unconcerned about their potential failures of tomorrow.
Dogs make the best of every situation that comes their way. They don’t look at the dogs around the neighborhood, envying them if they have a bigger house, nicer collar or a live with a human with more time to spend with them. No, they truly appreciate everything in their life, no matter what.
Our dog’s biggest pleasures come from the simplest (and most inexpensive) events. They jump for joy (sometimes literally) at the proposition of a walk – even when it’s only around the block; totally enjoy the bliss of a sunbeam to lie in; and reach the same level of crazy excitement each and every time you throw their favorite squeaky toy (usually the one way past its prime, that has very little stuffing left and a smell that is so unique that it defies adjectives).
There is never any judgment about anything either. Our dogs don’t care how much money we make or if we gain a few pounds, and they don’t hold grudges if we break a promise or come home late. No, they greet us with the same happy smile and friendly wag of their tail no matter what.
We can learn a lot from out dogs if we just open ourselves up to what they have to teach. So, I invite you to take at least one day to live like a dog. Whatever you are doing today, give it your 100% attention. Don’t think about the next task, the rest of the day’s responsibilities, or the crap that hit the fan an hour ago. Just embrace what you’re doing fully. Be on the lookout for many amazing, simple pleasures present in everyday life. Take a moment to hear the birds singing in the morning, truly appreciate your car, and greet all your family and friends with all of the love and energy that your dog shows you.
We spend lots of time trying to train our dogs how to live in the human world, take one day to let them show us how to live the life of a dog: a life of simple pleasures and daily joys.
Monday, April 4, 2011
The Little Things
Life moves at the speed of life. It doesn’t wait for you to catch and won’t give you more time if you haven’t finished everything you need to get done. There’s no way to slow it down and there is little chance of getting more hours added to the day.
Getting to everything that needs to get done on a typical day can be a big challenge and you’re forced to prioritize your tasks to want needs your immediate attention and put the rest off. When you’re faced with work, kids, spouses, and a long list of daily obligations the one thing that usually gets pushed aside is the dog.
For me, with twin girls, my business, my nonprofit, and my wife there is little time for myself or my dog. Those are the two aspect of my life that I have prioritized last, which means they usually get little or no attention.
I’ve recently come to realize is that, not only can I take care of both myself and my dog at the same time, but it doesn’t have to take too much time out of my busy day. Both me and my dog love spending time together, so by taking care of her, I’m also taking care of myself. Even on the busiest of days, I can feasibly take small increments of time throughout my day to spend with my dog, which can make a difference for both of us. Little things really do go a long way. If you take a few minutes here and there throughout the day, it can add up to a decent amount of time.
So here are my recommendations for you to get more out of your day with your dog.
1. Whatever time you currently get up, set your alarm for 15 minutes earlier and spend that time with your dog. Make your morning walk longer or spend that time playing with a toy.
2. Do some simple obedience or tricks (whatever your dog knows) 3-4 times throughout the day for five minutes. I like to do these before meal times or before we go out for our walks.
3. Before you go to bed at night, spend 5-10 minutes of quite time petting and loving your dog. Don’t do this while watching TV or talking to someone else – instead really spend the time with your dog enjoying and appreciating him/her.
When you do have the extra time (like on your days off from work or when the kids are at school) go for that long walk or some more lengthy playtime and interaction with your dog. Although we would love to spend an hour or two walking and playing with our dogs each day, it’s just not always possible. We can, however, carve out short periods of time throughout the day, which can greatly improve our day and give your dog some much needed (and deserved) attention.
So, get away from you computer right now and start your first five minutes with your friendly neighborhood Fido.
Getting to everything that needs to get done on a typical day can be a big challenge and you’re forced to prioritize your tasks to want needs your immediate attention and put the rest off. When you’re faced with work, kids, spouses, and a long list of daily obligations the one thing that usually gets pushed aside is the dog.
For me, with twin girls, my business, my nonprofit, and my wife there is little time for myself or my dog. Those are the two aspect of my life that I have prioritized last, which means they usually get little or no attention.
I’ve recently come to realize is that, not only can I take care of both myself and my dog at the same time, but it doesn’t have to take too much time out of my busy day. Both me and my dog love spending time together, so by taking care of her, I’m also taking care of myself. Even on the busiest of days, I can feasibly take small increments of time throughout my day to spend with my dog, which can make a difference for both of us. Little things really do go a long way. If you take a few minutes here and there throughout the day, it can add up to a decent amount of time.
So here are my recommendations for you to get more out of your day with your dog.
1. Whatever time you currently get up, set your alarm for 15 minutes earlier and spend that time with your dog. Make your morning walk longer or spend that time playing with a toy.
2. Do some simple obedience or tricks (whatever your dog knows) 3-4 times throughout the day for five minutes. I like to do these before meal times or before we go out for our walks.
3. Before you go to bed at night, spend 5-10 minutes of quite time petting and loving your dog. Don’t do this while watching TV or talking to someone else – instead really spend the time with your dog enjoying and appreciating him/her.
When you do have the extra time (like on your days off from work or when the kids are at school) go for that long walk or some more lengthy playtime and interaction with your dog. Although we would love to spend an hour or two walking and playing with our dogs each day, it’s just not always possible. We can, however, carve out short periods of time throughout the day, which can greatly improve our day and give your dog some much needed (and deserved) attention.
So, get away from you computer right now and start your first five minutes with your friendly neighborhood Fido.
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