Losing sight of the main thing can destroy the trust between you and your dog
The Main Thing in this episode is why do you have a dog? Is it to have a perfectly behaved dog that will make you proud and demonstrate what a good trainer you are?
Or is it to have a best friend and companion to experience life’s adventures with? Someone who gives you unconditional love and is always happy when you arrive home?
Sometimes we go down the rabbit hole of thinking that our dogs need to be compliant when in actuality, there are far more important things to garner from a relationship with our dogs!
We can put so much pressure on ourselves and on our dog because we believe that our dog must be compliant, and trained to behave perfectly in all circumstances. But is that really why we have a dog?
There’s a lot to be said for meeting our dogs where they are, for who they are and to stay present enough to recognize that we can only start to change unwanted habits from where we are right now.
In This Episode
- Losing sight of the main thing and how it can happen to the best of us
- Why do you have dogs in your life?
- Meeting our dog where they are and accepting them as they are
- Releasing the pressure of timelines
Quotes
“I think we lose sight of the main thing way too often.”
“It’s almost as if our dog is there to reward our ego … and that is NOT the main thing!”
“Having dogs enabled me to learn how to be a better human, to be a better version of myself.”
“We can only start where we are”
“We can enjoy the process of getting there, with our partner”
More Kathy!