BEWARE turning your Dog into a Robot!

Most behavior is easily conditioned.  Our dogs are conditioned so easily that before most owners even realize it they have overdone “training” and conditioned the dog into certain behaviors only to sacrifice the most crucial elements of calmness, relaxation, and freedom for their dog!  The owner, in essence, now live with something more akin to a robot than a dog!  Please beware of turning your dog into a robot…

This is a picture of what you get when you turn a biological creature into a robot…it certainly Ain’t pretty! He may be a great law enforcement officer but he’d sure make a bad housedog!

“But Garrett”, you say, “I want robotic-like obedience!  I want my dog to listen and obey right away.  I would love to have my dog stay on his bed for as long as I tell him to stay there until I release him.”  Let me just say what you’re attempting always sounds great but it is too unnatural.  And most dogs end up somehow manipulating much of the typical training we try to enforce because it IS unnatural.  I’m not saying skip typical training altogether but I am saying always temper it with what matters most in the mind and life of a dog.  Remember, the bulk of dog training and behavior modification seldom if ever deals with energy relaxation and it certainly doesn’t entail a lot of free thinking and relaxation.

Remember, underneath it all our dogs Are biological, living, breathing beings! This pic shows the reverse.

I want more from my dogs than just robotic-like obedience.  I want a real relationship based on respect and trust.  I want to experience the world with them in a way that most training simply doesn’t cover.  I want to be able to throw the ball a different direction and still get a strong retrieval.  I want to be able to play a new or different way with my dogs and have them equipped with the brain power and ability to smoothly transition into it.  I want to be able to bring my dogs into any situation and have them go with the flow instead of having to force them into some unnatural stay or wait command.  Isn’t it more real and refreshing that way (especially if you’re the dog)?  Isn’t it better to have a dog that can be off-leash at the barbecue with friends and family and have it loose and relaxed and enjoying the time with everyone else instead of looking to the owner for it’s every command and what to do in every single situation?

I certainly don’t want to accept the status quo’s version or the majority of the dog training and behavioral world’s take on things and mold my dogs into another robot or clone. I want better for my dogs.  Be sure to temper training with calmness and freedom for your dogs.

Even great training often backfires with many dogs because of the illusion of control.  Dogs will manipulate and forever fight a tyrant but will wholeheartedly welcome and follow a calm, natural leader.  This is why I don’t care so much for most  dog “training.”  This is why most dog “training” doesn’t work that well in the long run.

Don’t seek the trainer or behaviorist way but seek the Way of the Dog.  Seek out the calmness and stability found in nature.

As smart and autonomous as they two rascals are, let’s face it…they come from a galaxy far, far, away and real robots in our galaxy don’t have anywhere near the autonomy.

If you need help contact us.  You will discover there is so much more available to you and your relationship with your dog or pup than what the mainstream dog training world has to offer!

“A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.”  -Jim Morrison

Can you control your own energy? Can you influence your dog’s energy?

Energy is hard to define but vitally important.  Websters defines energy as “the ability to be active.  The physical and mental strength that allows you to do things.  Natural enthusiasm and effort.  Usable power that comes from heat, electricity, etc.” Other definitions of energy include “the strength or vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity.  The capacity of power to do work.  The power derived from the utilization of physical or chemical resources, especially to provide light and heat,  or to work machines.”

Synonyms of energy include; vitality, vigor, life, animation, vivacity, spirit, enthusiasm, zest, spark, effervescence, exuberance, buoyancy, strength, stamina, power, drive, fire, passion, ardor, zeal, pep, pizzazz, moxie, mojo and go!

Energy is important.  Energy is real.  Energy is often misunderstood and overlooked particularly when we consider how much, or should I say how little, we know about personal energy and the energy of everything around us.

Today I want to encourage you to learn to read/interpret and then control your own energy and learn to read your dog’s energy.  Be a referee of your dog or pup’s energy!  You can accomplish this by taking charge of your own personal energy first.

Have you considered your own personal senses and all the things assaulting your brain?  I would start there.  Let’s slow down for a second and think about this…

Let’s pick one of your five senses and imagine all the energy in the environment that flows into your mind from that one sense.  Let’s start with hearing.  Please picture with me all the sound energy that your ears take in!  From airplanes passing overhead, to TVs and radios, from little children yelling, laughing, and working on their oratory skills, to birds chirping, traffic noises, neighborhood lawn mowers, ringtones, the quick buzzing of insects, garage doors opening and closing, the footfalls of folks in a hallway or on the steps, to the never ending drone of a computer running our two ears are constantly catching noises and sound energy.  Sometimes our brains block out the cacophony of energy and we barely notice the tidal wave of sounds.   At other times all it takes is an inconsiderate neighbor acting like a clown and blasting his music with extra bass to expose our last nerve!

(For a fun exercise close your eyes now for a minute or three and don’t say a word.  Just listen.  Listen and try to identify how many sounds are around you.)

Now think about how this is just one, only one of our many senses!  It’s amazing to think how much energy is constantly flowing around us, into us, and out of us!

A good ref always takes action before the energy rises to uncontrollable levels!  Note the physical expression and interception by the ref.

The mother and father dog instinctively understand that they have to conserve and save their energy.  Pups don’t know this; that’s one big reason they are more hyperactive than adults.  The mother and father dog also know that there is only so much energy allowed in any environment at one time.  This is critically important for you to understand if you want to be able to calm or control your dog or puppy’s energy levels.  There is only so much energy allowed in any one territory or pack at one time.  If it gets too high there will be an “explosion” or some form of fight or flight!

Here is a very human example I use when helping my clients…

Imagine you are at a party.  Things seem to be going swimmingly until you notice someone is going a bit too far.  Before you know it there’s a spilled drink or some sort of outburst coming from the culprit.  All heads turn toward the sound or sight of the extra energy coming from across the room.  Then everyone turns back so as not to be rude or commit a social faux pas.  You might be one of the ones to turn back a bit slower and even add a disapproving shake of your head or raise your eyes wide as you rejoin the conversation circle you were engaged in before the energy burst from the other side of the room interrupted you.  This is classic non-verbal communication we all know so well.  And an example of how too much of the wrong energy causes chaos in the environment.

If you look real closely…and I mean look really close, with a sharp eye you may be able to tell that the dog featured in this picture is exhibiting low energy.

We all move up and down the energy scale throughout our day.  We wake up and get moving and eat breakfast which then gets turned into fuel for our human “fire” and we have more energy.  If we eat too much lunch we then may find we have less energy to output because our insides are too busy converting the giant meal…our gut hasn’t finished converted the food fuel into usable energy yet and we are sluggish.

Our dogs move up and down the energy scale too. As wise dog owners we should seek to learn more about how to calm or intercept our dog’s energy.  Cultivating calm energy is the only thing that prevents behavioral issues!

“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.” -Aristotle

Remember, any fool can pump a dog up and excite them; only someone with a deep understanding of body language and energy control can calm them down quickly and effectively.

Benjamin Franklin said, “Energy and Persistence conquer all things.”  Isn’t that good?  I can’t get enough!

I leave you with a few great quotes from some notable folks who really influenced the world around them with an understanding and application of energy.  Now go boldly forward and influence your dog’s energy!

Don’t we ALL need to apply this great quote!

“If you want to define the secrets of the language of dogs think in terms of energy, touch, and how the senses experience the environment.” Garrett Stevens

 

PS.

Be on the lookout for our upcoming book!  It will be very applicable and different from what I’ve seen in dog training and behavioral modification books…it will actually work and work well!  -G

Action, Energy, and Honor in Ancient Rome

“The whole praise of virtue lies in action.” – Cicero.

Let’s define action…

Action:  the process of doing something; typically to achieve an aim.

What are your actions today?  What is your chief aim?  What are your goals?  I can tell you with certainty that if you responded with a, “Not much” or some answer of that sort you will be bound to a life of “Not much” accomplishment!

Ancient Rome!

Let’s journey into the land of our imaginations for a moment and try and picture what life was like thousands of years ago in the city of Rome.  The ancient Romans were a people and a culture that loved and respected action.  They were always looking for a way to show kinetic energy.  The ancient Roman word for “soul” is directly linked to movement, energy, and action.  The word inertia in ancient Roman culture can be translated as “having no soul!”  What, I wonder, would many ancient Roman citizens think of our culture today?

Are you presenting yourself and your dog to society in the right way?  The question may seem a bit strange but manners, customs, and proper public conduct, or lack thereof, can cause the rise or downfall of great civilizations!  What do you think of your own personal energy?  Have you considered your personal energy and how and what it is spent on before?  Have you considered your energy levels in regard to communication with your dog or pup?  How is your dog’s energy in comparison with your own?  Can you raise or focus your energy or your puppies’ energy at will?  Can you calm and relax your energy and your pup’s energy?

Roman honor and their daily way of life was all about the actions one took.  They were extremely specific about how, when, and where they directed their energies.  In normal public life one went about showing strong energy which would in turn lead to many honorable feats and accomplishments.  Just imagine where the world would be without arches, aqueducts, concrete, battlefield surgery, newspapers, calendars, bound books, and roads and highways!  All were made possible due to Roman innovation through vigorous action!

If a Roman citizen lost their honor or were publicly shamed they had to work extremely hard and bring even more energy to every daily task.  Many even volunteered to be gladiators in an attempt to restore honor and showcase their extreme willingness to take real and tenacious action in gaining it back!

Here’s a little ancient Roman advertising for Alpha and Omega!

Gladiators that lost their match would actual expose their necks to the victor as a final sign of active courage and to show the iron will needed in order to gain back honor through their last action!  Wild stuff!

Are you taking extreme action to help prevent or fix your own dog or pup’s behavioral issues?  Are you feeling shame or public embarrassment when or if your dog freaks out and lunges or barks or snaps at another dog or person when you’re out and about?  Please remember…dogs are much more direct and honest than most humans you will ever meet!  Dogs don’t feel near the level of shame, humiliation, or embarrassment socially that you or I could feel.

If you haven’t seen this classic…please do so. This is a famous film about the story of a gladiator slave (Spartacus) who took Action in order to change his life and the lives of those around him!

Roman society also allowed for failure.  It was expected.  Failure and shame would happen to many and that is why they would work harder to redeem themselves through action and ferocious energy.  The cultural system as a whole was more flexible and honest than today’s careful, and cautious way to live.

We need to allow ourselves and our dogs to fail more often.  As you allow room for your dog or pup to fail you will find that mixing that failure by taking the right, natural, persistent actions to correct, calm or redirect the dogs will learn to be much more trustworthy in the long run.  Never forget that the mother and father dog allow a lot of room for growth and exploration and in this way they preserve their own precious energy.  In the long run you will have a much more relaxed control over your dog instead of the hyper (always be praising) constantly looking to reinforce behavior (typical training) sort of approach.  The typical training (always be praising) approach is waaaaaaaay more work on all involved and doesn’t ever pan out as well because it is not natural and it is wasting our energy!

If you double your rate of failure you will find success faster!  Think of how many times Thomas Edison failed when inventing the light bulb or how many shots Michael Jordan has missed etc etc…Never be afraid to fail.

There was always tension and then relaxation present in the ancient Roman’s life.  A natural cycle.  Like nighttime always comes at dusk tension and then calmness can be a very natural way to experience life.  Tension/pressure and then the calm releasing of said pressures are evident constantly in canine culture, energies, and body language! 

Predatory culture in the animal world focuses intense energy and takes direct action and then (usually after a kill) total relaxation.

Prey culture is different.  As a prey animal can be eaten they have to be constantly on alert in order to survive!

Roman culture was defined by tremendous activity and then relaxed passivity.  A society very much reminiscent of the dog that is sleeping the day away (passively) while you are at work until it is exploding with energy (actively) while sprinting across your yard after a ball!

Take action today.  Focus and direct your energy.  Live a life of honor.

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