Enlightened by Dogs Podcast

Naturally, you want your dog to feel safe, calm, and happy as much as possible. But stressful situations are part of life as we know it. Often, these situations affect you long before your dog gets triggered and end up provoking a cascade of thoughts that could sever your connection with your dog.

How do we control these thoughts and, in turn, ensure that our dogs don’t learn to be anxious or reactive in stressful situations? It all starts with a conscious decision to focus on the connection you share at that moment. In this episode, Kathy explores ways to guard your mind against bouts of unhealthy thoughts about others. She also explains the effect this has on your dog’s social skills and provides a six-step thought reframe protocol to tackle the issue at the root.

This episode brings a three-part series to an end. If you missed the first two, check out EBD188 and EBD189 to learn all about being an advocate for your puppy when it counts the most and how to support your dog through traumatic experiences.

In this episode:

• Why monitoring your thoughts is important for a trust-based partnership
• What life is like with a mindful approach (real life scenarios)
• Kathy’s six-step thought reframe protocol

Quotes:

“Disconnecting from our dogs in stressful situations can be avoided if we can identify the first thought that kicks off that cascade of unpleasant thoughts, then reframe it.”

“The effect of monitoring and changing our inner thoughts about others is monumentally life-changing — for both us and our dogs.”

“Identify and decide to change all thoughts that are not serving the future you’re creating for you and your dog.”

Listen to all 3 Parts of this Series:

Episode 188 Part 1

Episode 189 Part 2

Episode 190 Part 3

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