21/09/2022
Don't keep trying to fit a square peg into a round hole!!
The picture below is one of my dogs, Rodney.
Rodney has 2 brothers Derek and Denzel and a sister Marlene ( guess the theme)
All the puppies in this litter stayed with me, I bred a litter with the intention of keeping them all if there were 4 and taaaadaaah, I was gifted this amazing litter.
These 4 have had the same upbringing, in the same home, no big dramas in their lives, life has been pretty safe and consistent for these guys.
The pups ( now 2 but are still the pups lol) live with 9 other dogs which include their mum, their dad, and their auntie, they have a family unit they have never been torn away from ( i feel very proud of this achievement, although my gin bill was VERY high raising them, boy it was stressful!!
Why do I tell you this??
Because ask anyone on here that knows me and my dogs personally and Rodney is "different".
He doesn't process the world in the same way his siblings do. He has what I described as sensory overload at times.
I can see his brain going 100 miles an hour at the most simple of things like me picking up keys, and he is 100 miles an hour or asleep, and boy does he like cute when he is sleeping, processing all the trouble he caused that day lol.
THIS IS RODNEY!!!, THIS IS MY RODNEY!!!, AND I LOVE HIM!!!
So, do I make Rodney conform to the dog that I had visions of him being, OR to the way his brothers and sisters behave?
Why would I, he isn't them, he is Rodney?
Lets look at this from a human angle, do most kids turn out to be the vision of what their parents had in their heads, probably not.
Do most parents see who their child becomes and then support them in being the best version of who they are, well I hope so because that's good parenting?
So why do we constantly expect our dogs to fit into what WE decide WE want them to be?
I will never take Rodney to a pub for example because it would blow his mind, but that's ok, that's what is best for him and not about what I want.
I wouldn't take Rodney to a Training Class environment, because it's not what HE would do best in, other dogs can thrive in that environment but my Rodney wouldn't.
Now to be clear, I am not suggesting we avoid seeking help and support for dogs, but let's think about what the best version looks like for THAT individual dog.
Rodney is a wonderful unicorn shape peg that fits into his own unique unicorn-shaped hole, and he is all the glitter and sparkles I could ever ask for because I work damn hard at making sure Rodney is RESPECTED for the individual he is.