Dogs, as I frequently remind you, live in the present.
It’s now they care about. And they are remarkably able to renew themselves every day.
While we want them to enjoy stability and routine - and that suits us as well! - they are so much more adaptable than many people seem to think.
There is no need to have set hours for rising, exercising, sleeping, eating. As long as these things happen during the day, your dog doesn’t care when they happen.
I’m often told, “My dog has to have his walk at x time or he becomes anxious / difficult / wild …”
But this is just a reflection of what you’ve taught him to expect - and what he’s taught you to comply with! ;-)
As long as your dog gets what he needs, it really doesn’t matter much when he gets it.
An interesting experiment
I’ve run a number of week-long workshops for thousands of owners of reactive dogs. And one thing I found happened with predictable regularity was that when I’d tell them how to make a massive change in their dog’s behaviour, they’d say, “Oh no, I couldn’t do that.”
If this was their response, it showed that their minds were not open. Not as open as their dogs’ minds!
For example, I’d tell them to keep their reactive dog home for three whole days. No walks. (There was a specific scientific reason for this, it wasn’t just a whim on my part.)
And they’d say, “No! My dog will be climbing up the wall! He’ll go mad with too much energy! He’ll never settle without his daily walk.”
Many of these folk were persuaded to give it a try anyway - persuaded by me or by their fellow workshoppers who already knew how well this strategy worked.
And they’d report back a few days later that they were blown away with how calm their previously anxious and agitated dog had become! They couldn’t believe how their dog had accepted this new regime.
They now had a dog calm enough to actually work with! They could now start to use the techniques I went on to teach them, and have a fighting chance of them being effective!
No dog can learn when in a constant hyped-up state - which is what the over-stimulation of worrying walks was giving them.
You see, these kind owners thought they were doing their best for their dog by continuing to do things which were actually making the dog worse!
They were set on their path and it was very hard to budge them off it - despite the fact that after years they were making little or no progress with their dog.
🐾 It was their dog who was able to show them what worked.
🐾 It was their dog who showed herself to be the more adaptable of the two!
🐾 It was their dog who had clearly read and understood these wise words from Yung Pueblo:
Letting go doesn’t mean forgetting, it just means we stop carrying the energy of the past into the present.
This is so perceptive, and so true!
We - humans, that is, not dogs - have a way of taking an experience and turning it into an unarguable fact. We set it in concrete. And we use it as a reference for ever more.
“This happened once, therefore it’s the way it will always be.”
No! That happened once. Decide what information and learning you want to take from the experience, and move on!
Your dog may have reacted in a certain way once. It doesn’t mean that’s the only way she can ever react!
She may need our input to show her a better way, but that means that our minds first have to be open to seeing that better way.
Many of the students in From Growly Dog to Confident Dog were despairing of moving forwards - BUT they had the open-mindedness to keep trying to find a way to help their unhappy dog (that’s what a reactive dog without help is - unhappy).
Here are some thoughts from a few of them:
This course has been a revelation. I don’t know where we’d be now if it weren’t for Beverley’s training, I just dread to think. - CR and Lois
The good news is that I can see that Rumpole and I have made loads of progress since starting this programme - we are both more confident. - JS and Rumpole
This past week she has walked past or near several dogs without a bark even though a couple barked at her. She has also said hello to some. I never thought it would be possible - but after 18 months of determination - it's paying off. I'm so glad I didn't give up - although several times have felt like it. The learning and structure of the course and this group has reassured me I'm doing the right thing and kept going - thank you. Keep going guys it really is worth it! - AT and Ginny
I have been in the From Growly Dog to Confident Dog program for just three months and I cannot believe the progress my dogs have made in such a short period of time. Your mission of trying to reach out to every person who wants to help their dog’s life improve is evident in everything you do. - SB, Charlie and Maggie
Want to leave your dog’s history behind and start a new life together? Start with this free Masterclass, and talk to me in the chat. I WILL understand you, and I will respond and help you as best I can.
