15/09/2024
💝 Let’s build trust first before all the ‘stuff’ 💝
When I would like someone, especially a member of my family, (be that human or animal), to do something, a task or suchlike, I ‘ask’ …….”could you ……can you……..would you like to……”.
If I need to repeat myself or resort to changing my tone and/or my volume to be ‘authoritative’ and ‘controlling’, then I am no longer asking, I am ‘commanding’ them 😔. They then have no choice. This ruins relationships and doesn’t build confident beings 😔
If I’m needing to ‘command’ and ‘control’ then I’m just not doing it. There are MANY reasons a dog doesn’t do something that we ask, they haven’t fully understood it, they are in pain, they aren’t in the mood, the environment is too tricky….etc
If they don’t want to / can’t do it ‘willingly’ first time, with encouragement and rewards, then I don’t ask a second time. To me, it’s an unfair expectation ☺️ (I will go back to the drawing board and find out what may be going on) 📖 🤔
I’m not fussed for a sit or a down or a wait from my dog, I want them to have fun and trust me that I will advocate for their every need in order that they feel safe and that they have choice. The other stuff will come for sure, but the trust HAS to come first ☺️
I want others to understand how important it is that any species, be that human or animal, should NEVER be controlled, and behaviours suppressed in order that they conform to what we ‘want’. 😔. I don’t want anyone to do anything because I MADE them. My thrill comes in teaching and having a dog enjoy everything I’m doing with them 🐾🥰
One phrase I use regularly in my teaching is “can you…..?” “Can you sit?” “Can you lie down?” It changes HOW we ask, ensuring that it’s a mutual agreement. If the dog ‘can’t’ in that moment, then I change things to help them and go back to where I believe they confidently could and move onwards from there, orrrrr we just move on, I’m not a dictator expecting my dog to do everything I ask, but…….I do get my thinking cap on and work out why they couldn’t do what I asked if I believe it’s something they’ve been confident to do previously 🐾❤️
I want to help families have THE BEST life with their dogs having fun and learning ‘stuff’ with the dog being at the centre of where they are going on that journey and going at their pace 🐾 ❤️
If you are struggling with your dog, please get in touch, I want to help 🐾❤️
If you’d like to understand what your dog is communicating, please get in touch, I’d love to educate you 🐾❤️
Enjoy your dogs, they are the best fun 🐾❤️
