Valentine Exercise
“Hey Jude, don’t make it bad.
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her into your heart.
Then you can start to make it better.”
~ The Beatles
Some of us have big problems with the dogs in our lives, and some of us have lots of little problems. Like any relationship, it’s never perfect. However, like any relationship, there are probably some really wonderful things that we forget to notice, minimize or ignore completely while we focus mainly on the few things that aren’t so wonderful.
I think the most important thing one can do when feeling frustrated, overwhelmed or even angry with their dog’s behavior is to take a moment to really notice the things that are right.
Perhaps your dog jumps on people, eats pillows and barks a lot. You may be working hard to change these behaviors, which means you’re thinking about them a lot. Of course, that’s good. Just don’t forget to notice all the great things that might be happening in between these few unwanted behaviors.
I think it’s important to make sure that you are not talking about your dog (out loud or in your head) in a negative manner all the time. The idea is to find positive affirmations about your dog that you can recount each day.
It’s very rare to find a spouse, child, boss, employee or dog that is all bad. In fact, in most cases the good far outweighs the bad, but we still focus on the negative. Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to change this equation!
I’ll start…
My Basset Hound, Suzi, lacks impulse control when it comes to counter surfing and rushing the car door to get out. We will continue to work on this. At the same time, Suzi loves every person she meets, is extremely huggable, makes everyone laugh, lights up a room, can run very fast on very short legs, is house trained and rides very politely in the car. I love her for who she is and accept that she is no more perfect than I am.
My Yorkie Poo, Rodie, is not very affectionate. He wants people to pet him all the time, demands attention, but gives absolutely nothing in return. He also gives out an extremely shrill warning bark at anything he hears. However, he is a fantastic teacher of puppies and adolescent dogs, he is house trained, he is perfect off-leash in any environment, he rides well in the car, he learns very quickly, he’s freaking adorable and he never gets into any people stuff.
You get the picture, right? I’m not suggesting you excuse inappropriate behavior and just let it be. I’m suggesting you take a moment to really let your dog into your heart, appreciate all the great things about your dog and keep the “work” you have to do in perspective.
