A wagging tail doesn’t always mean a friendly dog…
Dogs are always sharing information. Every body part is communicating what their emotional state is (how they feel about any given moment, set of circumstances, who's around them, etc.), as well as their state of mind (level of arousal, excitement, and - most of all - *intensity*).
Punishment and abuse are two entirely different things.
This is a post about punishment.
That’s right. BIG. BAD. UGLY PUNISHMENT… or is it?
This one little word has been misconstrued, misunderstood, misrepresented, and misinterpreted for years now, thanks to the heavy-handed, forceful style of some “trainers” and their far right-wing counterpart, the “purely positive” un-caped crusaders.
Sadly, there’s a stigma now attached to this word. One based on total untruth and continues to get perpetuated… and I’m done with it.
The detriment of “busy” in our dogs.
Busyness.
There's a hyper focus and fixation on "busyness"(in this country, especially); so much so that it's bleeding into our dogs and their behavior.
"Busyness" is being used to emotionally regulate, distract, numb, avoid, and suppress. We practice this in our own lives, and this has trickled down into how we're raising our dogs, as well.
Behavioral Influencers.
Behavior Influencers.
"Behavior" is highly contextual and heavily layered with multiple variables at play.
Interrupt…then direct.
Interrupt... then direct.
"State of mind" and "Energy" are fuel for any given behavior.
If not controlled or kept in check, state of mind can quickly and easily escalate paving the way for reactions (as opposed to responses), poor choices, and inappropriate behaviors.
Behavior isn’t breed or size-specific.
We've already spoken to this before, but it bears repeating after a few instances that crossed our awareness recently. This is how we see things…