Your dog's behavior shows you what you think about yourself!
This may sound far fetched but it is a simple fact that the thoughts we hold true about ourselves show up in the behavior of those surrounding us as well as in the conditions we find ourselves in.
Our thoughts and emotions cause our actions as well as our expectations. Not only that, our thoughts and expectations also shape our perception.
The thoughts which influence the behavior of our dogs are usually subconscious. We are not aware of them most of the time and if we are we don't connect them to our dogs behavior.
Here is what I mean:
Not long ago I met a woman who was dragged along by a very naughty German Shepherd male. As soon as she saw me and my Golden Retriever she walked off the path to make sure her dog would not attack my dog.
When I asked her about it she told me that her dog always tried to bite other males which caused her to feel helpless and ashamed. She had been told by others that her own fear was causing her dog to behave like this but made it quite clear that the behavior had been there before she had developed the fear of meeting other dogs. Now of course she was frightened of any encounter because she knew there was trouble in store!
After I had explained to her that often seemingly unrelated beliefs we hold true about ourselves cause our dog to answer in a certain way I asked her this very important question:
Could it be that you believe that nobody does what you want and that your wishes don't come true? And do you also see yourself in a position where others are running your life?
She immediately agreed!
So now she could understand how her dog's bad behavior fitted in with her thoughts about herself. Since she was expecting things to go wrong in her life she had allowed her dogs behavior to "go wrong" too. The way her dog behaved was running part of her life since it meant that she could not chat with other dog owners or even make friends with them and go for walks together.
In the end it was not her fear that caused her dog to be vicious but her conviction that she herself was helpless and unable to make her life the way she wanted it.
To find the real cause for dog behavior problems takes some detective work since dogs express themselves in many different ways and the connection between our thoughts and the problematic canine behavior is seldom seen at first glance as this case illustrates.
Here is the tip:
If and when your dog develops bad dog behavior, don't blame it on him but ask yourself which of your favourite negative thoughts about yourself are being supported by him behaving like this. This gives you a chance to treat the cause instead of the symptoms.
This may sound far fetched but it is a simple fact that the thoughts we hold true about ourselves show up in the behavior of those surrounding us as well as in the conditions we find ourselves in.
Our thoughts and emotions cause our actions as well as our expectations. Not only that, our thoughts and expectations also shape our perception.
The thoughts which influence the behavior of our dogs are usually subconscious. We are not aware of them most of the time and if we are we don't connect them to our dogs behavior.
Here is what I mean:
Not long ago I met a woman who was dragged along by a very naughty German Shepherd male. As soon as she saw me and my Golden Retriever she walked off the path to make sure her dog would not attack my dog.
When I asked her about it she told me that her dog always tried to bite other males which caused her to feel helpless and ashamed. She had been told by others that her own fear was causing her dog to behave like this but made it quite clear that the behavior had been there before she had developed the fear of meeting other dogs. Now of course she was frightened of any encounter because she knew there was trouble in store!
After I had explained to her that often seemingly unrelated beliefs we hold true about ourselves cause our dog to answer in a certain way I asked her this very important question:
Could it be that you believe that nobody does what you want and that your wishes don't come true? And do you also see yourself in a position where others are running your life?
She immediately agreed!
So now she could understand how her dog's bad behavior fitted in with her thoughts about herself. Since she was expecting things to go wrong in her life she had allowed her dogs behavior to "go wrong" too. The way her dog behaved was running part of her life since it meant that she could not chat with other dog owners or even make friends with them and go for walks together.
In the end it was not her fear that caused her dog to be vicious but her conviction that she herself was helpless and unable to make her life the way she wanted it.
To find the real cause for dog behavior problems takes some detective work since dogs express themselves in many different ways and the connection between our thoughts and the problematic canine behavior is seldom seen at first glance as this case illustrates.
Here is the tip:
If and when your dog develops bad dog behavior, don't blame it on him but ask yourself which of your favourite negative thoughts about yourself are being supported by him behaving like this. This gives you a chance to treat the cause instead of the symptoms.
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