Is the dog's behavior frustrating you? Take a deep breath and try something new.

            To what degree do dogs manifest the energy of their humans?  More and more I believe that the answer, if not completely, is in the very least to a large degree.  Let me explain.  I woke up very irritable today.  I felt like I had at least 30 things to do, enough time for approximately 3 of them and the desire to do none of them.  From the moment I stepped out of bed, I felt like I was behind and playing catch-up.   My chest was tight, my breathing shallow and my thoughts frantic.  “Gotta let the dog out, feed him, drop off the car and then get home before the contractor arrives to look at the bathroom”…and on and on like that.  

            As I was experiencing my chaotic inner monologue, Henry was an absolute terror.  Racing about, barking at the neighbors, nipping at my feet and generally being what I would describe politely as a “pain in the a*%”. 

            “Henry is out of control today!”  I exclaimed to my wife as I hurried from one priority to the next.  “We need to exercise him”. 

            “You know, you seem very tense.  Perhaps he is just feeding off of your energy” was my wife’s sage-like response.  As is so often the case in moments of stress, I was less than shall we say “receptive” to this comment.  In fact, my mature response was to walk out the front door muttering a fast and emotion-less, “see you later”. 

            When I returned, I was no more relaxed and Henry seemed just as active.  After playing tug with him in the back yard, he refused to come in when called.  Then when he did come in, he didn’t sit when I asked him to so that I could wipe the dirt from his paws.  To me he seemed to exude defiance and in response my agitation and stress only increased.

            At this point, I did something different than perhaps I would have a few months ago.  I walked away.  I put Henry in his Kennel without anger and went in to the other room to attend to a few things without him pestering me.  As I checked a few items off of my list, my mood lightened.  I sat down for some self-care in the form of quiet reflection and meditation.  When I let Henry out, he was a different dog.  But was he?  Or was it me? 

At this moment, Henry is sleeping even though he still has not had much exercise today.  When I look at him I see peace… serenity…but after meditating for a half hour and sitting down to do some writing, I am feeling peace…. and serenity. 

From an early age we learn the expression, “the dog ate my homework!”  The dog was a scapegoat from the beginning!  Rather than convenient blame depositories, I believe our pets could be of much greater service to us as emotional mirrors.  To what degree does my relationship with my dog change if I see his behavior as a projection of my own neurosis. 

If you think hard enough....or maybe not even that hard….I would bet you can remember a time you saw someone in a particularly foul mood walking a dog.  Perhaps you’ve been this person.  Is it just me, or does it seem sometimes the more you yell at your dog, the more he perpetuates the behavior that you, with neck veins bulging and face reddening more with each angry word, are attempting to suppress. 

If you happen to fall into this category, do not despair…you’re in good (and vast) company.  Gina Micciulla likes to tell the story of an acquaintance of hers who happened to be a shaman.  It seems this shaman could commune with the cosmos and divine universal truths from the trees and flowers, but still had a proclivity for yelling “NO!” repeatedly at her dog when he didn’t do what was expected of him. 

Now, I am not attempting to discredit shamanism.  I have a tremendous respect for the more ancient and animistic spiritual traditions.  My point is merely that no matter how spiritually evolved you may be, if you are reading this, I am going to assume you are human…and thus susceptible to all of the moodiness and messiness of being human.  Be easy with yourself.  Be easy with your dog too.  He or she may be the spiritual teacher for whom you’ve been searching.

Try this experiment:  The next time your dog is obstinate and seems to do everything BUT obey what you are asking her to do, observe what is going on inside of you.  If you feel impatient, angry, frustrated…then surrender.  If you are at home, walk away.  If on a walk, attempt to, as dispassionately as possible, walk home and again, without anger or emotion, put the dog back in the house or in his kennel.  Do not remove yourself from the dog in a punishing way.  Simply walk away….surrender for the moment.  Remove yourself for some self care.  Meditate, take a few deep breaths, paint your nails, drink a glass of milk….whatever helps restore serenity, do THAT before you return to your dog.  When your chest feels less tight, your gut less knotted and your head less fuzzy, reengage with the dog and see if anything feels different.  See if he or she appears any different to you.

 Now, I do not mean to suggest that all dog behavior issues can be cured by meditating more.  Dogs misbehave for a myriad of reasons that are not manifestations of their owners tortured souls.  If the dog isn’t listening and is about to run out into a busy street, this is not the time to retreat to your yoga mat and leave the dog to fend for itself.  In this situation, your first responsibility is to keep yourself and your dog safe.  Once that is achieved however, you may be able to indulge the luxury of self reflection as opposed to verbally or physically abusing the dog for not listening to you. 

            Your dog is your mirror.  This does not mean that your ears are big, your breath mildly offensive and that you have a tendency toward sniffing your crotch.  Rather, it means that in your canine companion, you have your own personal emotional barometer with which to guide you on your path.  What a gift!

Managing an energetic puppy with a house full of guests: The Unleash Yourself approach to enjoying the Holidays

            Another holiday season has come and gone.   This was Henry’s first Christmas and New Year’s in our home.  This was not the first time that we have had a house full of guests.  It is however the first time with a house full of guests that Henry has spent most of the visit not in his kennel. 

            One of the hallmark principles of the Unleash Yourself dog training method is the concept of using management tools.  The theory behind management tools is that they offer strategies to limit the dog’s options so that they are not free to engage in unwanted behaviors.  Over time, as the dog learns more skills, the management tools can be weaned.
            From the outset of our sessions with Unleash Yourself owner Gina Micciulla, we began to work on the concept of “tethering”.  This involves using a short 4 to 6 foot cord anchored beneath a door or screwed into the baseboard, which is then fastened to the pup to limit movement in the house.  Tethering works great for keeping dogs from surfing the dinner table, jumping on guests at the front door, and as we came to find out, it makes it possible for humans to open presents without having to fend off imposing teeth and paws.  It is important to mention, and Gina is quick to point out, dogs should never be tethered while unsupervised.  This tool works well to limit the dog’s options while the humans are present.  Tethering an unattended dog can create a very dangerous situation, both for the dog who is likely to become quite agitated as well as for the home.  If the dog does not hurt himself, he is quite likely to lash out at anything nearby such as the piece of furniture or baseboard to which she is anchored.

During our pre-Henry house screening with Gina, we identified safe spots around our home where Henry could be tethered for different reasons.   We have a safe spot in the living room where we can clip Henry when guests arrive.  We have another spot closer to the dining room where he can be attached while we are eating dinner so that he is close to us, but unable to get his nose on the table.  As of the past few weeks, we have a tether station that permits Henry to be close to us as we gather around the Christmas tree, but not so close that he can get his teeth on the presents. 
We tethered Henry more with our company present than we have in weeks, but I do not feel this is a setback.  In recent months, we have been working with Henry on teaching him the behaviors that we want him to adopt instead of table surfing and accosting our guests.  We have worked extensively on sit/maintain and down/maintain to the point that when just Jo and I are sitting down to a meal, we can reliably count on redirecting Henry to one of those positions when he starts to make a play for one of our plates.  Henry’s sit/maintain and down/maintain are fantastic in a house of two humans.  Increase the human count to six and it’s easy to understand that Henry’s stress and distractibility levels were also increased significantly.  For this reason, we employed liberal use of the tether stations in order to prevent setting Henry and ourselves up for failure.  With four new people around, it would  have been unrealistic to expect him to assume his absolute best behavior.  The explanation for this is that with increased stimulation and distraction, dogs are increasingly stimulated and distracted. 
The Unleash Yourself method offers step-by-step series of activities designed to teach a dog a new skill in a safe environment, and then adds difficulty and distractions in order to help the dog learn to demonstrate the skill amidst greater and greater distraction.  In order to get Henry comfortable on the tethers, we practiced with him at each of the stations in advance with minimal distractions.  With the preliminary practice in place, we were ready to try Henry on the tethers with the added activity of house guests and holiday cheer.             

             We have observed dog owners whose only word seems to be “no”!  We have been in homes with dogs where it seems every conversation is interrupted by “dog’s name!” No!”  This sucks.  It is stressful for the owners, it is stressful for the guests and it is stressful for the dog.  Thanks to the tethering management tool, we were able to say yes to hosting a house full of guests while still peacefully cohabitating with our furry family member, Henry.  Call it a Christmas Miracle, but I think it’s safe to assert that Jo and I and Henry have learned a thing or two these past few months.  

Unexpected Dog Aggression? What is going on in the environment? With the dog? With me?

            I believe all too often we humans expect too much from our canine companions.  We unknowingly bring our dogs into environments that are stressful for them and then we blame the dog for his or her behavior.  I was guilty of this not too long ago.  I’d like to describe the situation and what I learned.  My hope is that readers may avoid making the same mistakes when confronted with a similar situation.  Or, if you have found yourself in such a situation, perhaps this anecdote will remind you that you are not alone in your human-ness.  In this case, consider it a plea to be kind to yourself and to commit to doing better next time.

            Quick side trip:  I love Star Wars.  Love the first 3 films (episodes 4, 5, and 6 for my fellow enthusiasts).  If I wasn’t writing about dog training, I could fill pages with the life lessons and spiritual wisdom that permeate the original Star Wars trilogy.  There is this great scene in “The Empire Strikes Back” where Luke Skywalker is preparing to cut his training short with the Jedi Master Yoda in order to go confront the evil Darth Vader.  If you’ve seen the film, you’ll recall that both Yoda and Obi Wan urge Luke not to go, advising him that if he rushes to face Vader he risks jeopardizing all that he has learned and possibly being defeated by the dark side of the force.  Nonetheless, cocky Skywalker takes off and bee-lines it to the cloud city to face his evil nemesis.  If you’ve seen the film, you’ll also recall that within the next 30 minutes Skywalker gets thrown around like a rag-doll, has his right hand chopped off and falls into an abyss of a wind tunnel, nearly to his death.  Thankfully, he is rescued as a result of the divination of his companions and he survives to learn from his mistakes.

            I believe this is a beautiful metaphor for the essential quality of wisdom gained through experience and proper training.  First year surgical residents don’t operate independently and beginning rock climbers don’t attempt to lead the nose of El Capitan.  Dog guides with puppies in training should not attempt to take a skill they’ve practiced once in a secluded field to a park crawling with people, other dogs,…and skateboards.

            Henry hates skateboards.  I know this.  Yet, it never ceases to astonish me how quickly this sweet and loving golden ball of fur will morph into the teeth-bearing, snarling, spit-hurling, barking monster of a dog - simply at the sound of plastic wheels on pavement or at the site of a Portland teenager gliding down the street on his or her wheeled surfboard.  Seriously, in these moments I ponder that a better name for Henry would have been Jekyll & Hyde.  Thus, it was an innocent skateboarder that triggered the scariest experience I have had as of yet as a dog owner.

            A few days prior to the incident in question, we had been working with Gina, our Portland, Oregon based dog trainer, on recall (i.e. “coming when called”).  To do so, we were alone in an isolated field and Henry was tethered to a 30 foot cord.  This allowed us to simulate having him off leash, but still with a cord to step on if he needed redirection.  Henry did great!  So well in fact that a few days later I had the bright idea to take Henry, the 30 foot cord and a couple of fetch toys to the park down the street.  The same park that backs up to the neighborhood elementary school.  The very same park utilized by every dog owner in the entire neighborhood.  

            So, Henry and I arrive at the park and I proceed to clip him to his 30 foot cord and remove his leash.  Now, mind you, I am standing on the cord and at the moment thinking that everything is going great as I commence to get out the fetch toys and begin the recall exercise.  As I am doing this I see Henry’s ears perk up and head lift.  He is looking past me.  Just then I hear the distinct sound of skateboard wheels on cement.  It is too late.  Henry darts past me snarling and barking.  I watch helplessly as all 30 feet of cord zip out from under what I thought was my firmly placed foot on the grass.  “Henry, No! Come! Come!”  If that had worked I would not be writing this.  Within the blink of an eye Henry closed the distance of about 30 yards to the skateboarder.  It all happened in an instant, but what I vividly recall are the following:  the look of shear terror on the face of  this unsuspecting kid who nearly fell off his skateboard as a 50+ pound yellow streak of angry dog closed in him; yelling to the kid as I ran behind Henry, “Its ok man, he won’t hurt you!” (I’m confident that if he heard me he absolutely did not believe me in that moment); the look of fear, anger and frustration as he got back on his board and skated away as I got to the scene and grabbed hold of Henry; and finally, my impressive (note sarcasm) display of holding Henry down and yelling into his face, “Don’t you EVER do that again!”. 

            The surge of energy that I felt in that moment was disorienting.  At its root was fear that Henry was going to hurt the kid.  The slow burn of fear was quickly fanned by the flames of anger, as in “how dare you not listen to me!”  This growing inferno of emotional heat was then stoked by extreme embarrassment as I became aware of the multiple dog owners and parents standing around on the playground that had just observed this near-assault.

            In hindsight I had the perspective to realize that the whole show of holding Henry down and yelling at him was simply my own pathetic attempt to save face in front of the other humans…especially the teenager that was likely headed home to change his drawers.  I was embarrassed and I was mad.  In the moment, I directed those feelings at Henry.  However, as I debriefed with Gina, I quickly came to realize that my anger and frustration were misguided.  Gina reminded me of the three important aspects to be mindful of when taking our dogs into new situations: 1. What is going on in the environment? 2. What is going on with the dog? and 3. What is going on in with me?.  I distinctly remember saying to Gina, “I guess I put Henry into an unfair situation…my expectations were unrealistic.” 

            So what did I learn from this fiasco? First, training is a step-by-step process.  New skills need to be practiced and proofed over and over in safe environments before heading out to places that offer greater temptation and distraction.  Second, if I place Henry into an environment that is full of known behavioral triggers, it is not fair to blame him for his behavior.  Finally, it is essential to be aware of my own internal state.  Neither Henry nor I benefited from my making a show of disciplining him in order to “save face” with the neighbors.

            Thankfully, like Luke Skywalker, I have the benefit of the opportunity to learn from my mistakes and to do better next time.  Since this incident, I am much more aware of what is going on in the environment when Henry and I are out and about.  I still do not take him off leash in crowded public areas because frankly, like the overzealous Skywalker, we just aren’t ready yet.  When Henry and I are out on the town, I attempt to be aware of how Henry is processing any given situation.  Does he seem scared?  Excited?  Startled?  In doing so, I am better able to predict his behavior and to be alert for possible triggers.  Finally, I strive to be mindful of my own internal state.  If I feel the heat of anger or embarrassment rising, I try to remain mindful of this feeling without allowing myself to be drawn in.  Deep Breathing works wonders.  The goal is to put just a bit of space between the rising feeling and the resulting words or actions that I use in responding to Henry. 

            I am proud to say that Henry and I have not had any further close-calls like the one described above.  Our training is going well. Next week, we are going to belay each other up El Cap…. J

Give the dog something to do

            The challenges of raising a puppy are many.  In each of our sessions with Gina, we take time to discuss what is going on with our puppy, Henry.  During these conversations we have had the opportunity to trouble shoot situations that arise and how to better manage them.  In our first few lessons, we covered topics such as greeting guests at the front door, managing Henry while we eat dinner, redirecting him when he is triggered by noises outside, and how to interact with people and dogs while we’re on a walk.  There was something else we wanted to ask her about but did not initially have the courage to do so. 

            Yes, I’m talking about s-e-x…as in, how do we do it with Henry around?  We tried multiple ploys to keep Henry preoccupied so that “mommy” and “daddy” could have some time alone.  Initially, we just went for it without any thought to what Henry would do or how he would act.  This strategy lasted all of about two minutes.  Our efforts to be present with one another were quickly interrupted by the presence of a third being in our bed.  Clearly, the dog could sense something unique was going on and dog-gone-it, he wanted in on the action.  As much as we love Henry, there are limits to what we will share with him.  So, next we tried putting him in his kennel. 

            Initially, this seemed to work.  As soon as he settled in his space, we regrouped and reconvened.  The peace was once again short lived.  The first interruption came in the sound of a low groan.  “It’s ok, just ignore him” I would say gently.  Another groan followed, this time slightly louder and longer.  “He’s ok, he’ll stop in a minute”.  He didn’t.  With each successive outburst, Henry barraged us with an audible volley of sounds that we had no idea he was capable of making.  If the neighbors had overheard the noises coming from our bedroom, the humane society would likely have been beating down our door in short order. 

            We tried everything:  Putting a sheet over the kennel, moving the kennel around the corner…even sneaking into the closet when we thought Henry wasn’t paying attention.  It’s one thing as a teenager to get a certain exhilarating rush out of making out with your boyfriend or girlfriend in the basement while the parents are upstairs.  Yet, it is quite another when as grown-up, married adults you find yourself trying to sneak around the dog in order make the sex.  It was at this point, as we embraced in the intimate space of our non-walk-in closet that we realized that we had a problem.

            “Gina”, I said somewhat bashfully, “we have a situation we need to discuss with you.  Sometimes, you know, it’s really hard to manage Henry when we are, you know, when we’re trying to, um, well,”….

            “Make whoopee!?” she interjected.

            And we went there.  We spent the next half an hour talking through ways to manage Henry so that we could enjoy intimate time together.  We had previously joked that Gina was like a marriage counselor.  We had no idea how true that was….

            Oh, right, you’re probably wondering, “did it work?”  The answer is not straight forward.  Gina likes to say that when an unwanted dog behavior arises, we have three choices: we can solve it, manage it or live with it.  Thus far, we have settled upon the management option.  We have realized that as long as Henry has something to do, whether it be a marrow bone or Kong^tm stuffed with some of his food to eat, or an elk antler or chew toy to gnaw on, he will be distracted enough to allow us “our time”….at least until he gets bored.  With each foray, we find ourselves somewhat at the mercy of Henry’s adolescent puppy attention span.  The good news is that we have observed that if we have done our job as guides and provided Henry with adequate exercise on a given day, he seems more content to “do his thing” for longer…which allows us more time to “do our thing”. 



Dog is as Dog Does

the ultimate dog bed



             Do dogs feel loneliness?  I hesitate to offer my opinion on this as I generally find the human tendency to anthropomorphise (ie. to ascribe human attributes to animals or non-sentient beings) a bit silly.  That said, I am going to toe the line of hypocrisy and wager that I believe the answer is a resounding yes.  Further, I believe there are a lot of lonely dogs out there.  I saw one yesterday and it made my heart sink.  Henry and I were walking back to our house after a run.  Acknowledging my above cautionary disclaimer regarding anthropormophosis, I think Henry “loves” to run.  I can tell because he seems to be “smiling” the entire time…and when he looks up at me I would swear he is saying, “Dad this is the greatest!  I love running with you!” 

            If you called “Over the line!” you would not be wrong as I am now shamelessly interpreting Henry’s emotions through my human eyes and assuming that he is experiencing life as I do.  Although I find the practice of anthropomorphis silly, I will admit that I am perhaps one of the worst offenders.   I love to boldly proclaim what Henry is “thinking” or “telling us” as interpreted by his facial expression.  What, you may ask is the point of this rambling that is drifting ever close to the abyss of my stream of consciousness?  Fair enough.   What I am attempting to say is that we need to use discretion about when and how we interpret our furry friend’s behaviors through our less furry lens of human reasoning.  Allow me attempt to weave this together.

1.   A dog that is left alone will seek outlets for his or her energy.  As Gina and Henry have helped us to realize, adopting a dog is a big responsibility.  As owner / guides it is our responsibility to spend time with our dogs.  Gina will be the first to advocate that dogs should not be left outside unattended as it will only build bad habits that cannot be corrected if we are not present.  That said, during the times when we must attend to our other many human obligations, it is absolutely necessary to give the dog something to do.  A bone, a chew toy, a stuffed animal….something.  A dog left alone with no distraction will not take long to act out and do things that we humans then like to blame the dog for…like digging up the grass or chewing on the fence…which brings me to point #2:

2.  Do not hold your dog accountable to human behavioral expectations.

Your dog does not “know” that it is “bad” to dig in the grass, chew the fence, eat your gardening gloves, or bark endlessly.  However, as Gina likes to say, “Dogs are opportunists and master problem solvers.”  If you stick your dog in the backyard because you need some peace and quiet and your favorite gardening gloves are sitting on the railing of your deck, you should not be surprised to find them in shreds.  Nor should you be shocked to find a new hole in your yard.  Dogs will naturally find outlets for their energy.  As guides, it is our responsibility to create an environment in which the dog has “human approved” available outlets.  This is a part of responsible management.  If the unattended dog gets into something he or she shouldn’t, whose fault is it?  That’s right…the human.  We found that Henry loves to dig…anywhere and everywhere.  Therefore, using Gina’s suggestions, we created a space in an unused raised bed where Henry may dig to his little heart’s content.  This is just one example of a way we’ve found to give the Henry a safe place to be a dog in a way that is also acceptable to us humans.

 In summary, it is inevitable that we as humans will interpret our canine’s behavior through our human filter.  This is all fine and good and rather endearing when we’re loving on our dogs or witnessing any number of their adorable antics.  However, when the dog “messes up” and does something undesirable, it is imperative that we not judge the pup through our own anthropomorphic lense and thus punish the dog simply for “being a dog”.

Author’s note: As I was finishing writing this, I heard a thump and the sound of teeth on plastic as I saw the flash of fuzzy gold as Henry bee-lined it out the back door.  Knowing enough to get up and quickly inspect the situation, I found Henry standing there, looking back at me with my wife’s sunglasses hanging out of his mouth.  Utilizing an Unleash Yourself approach, I offered him a tug toy and said, “trade ya!”  He quickly latched on to the other end of the pull rope and what followed was a few minutes of jumping around the back yard playing tug-o-war.  I see this as progress a few months prior, I probably would have yelled “No!” and then chased him around the yard in vain attempting to retrieve the precious sunglasses.  I am far from perfect and certainly don’t handle every situation with text book Unleash Yourself finesse.  However, during the times that I do, it sure is fun to see it work…and it sure is a lot less expensive than constantly buying new sunglasses.

Discovering Unleash Yourself

The Unleash Yourself approach is based on the Third Way developed by Chris Bach.  It is centered in a place of empathy…of compassion…for dogs.  When we, as humans, think of the virtues of empathy and compassion, I believe we tend to place them in the context of our relationship with our fellow humans.  When I feel anger towards another, if I am able to empathize, to feel where that other is coming from, than I am better able to diffuse my anger and begin to seek resolution.  The truth is, we can approach all of life with empathy and compassion as we seek to live harmoniously with all that is.  The Unleashed method teaches compassion and empathy with our canine companions as a means of coexisting with our furry friends more harmoniously. 

            My wife and I discovered Gina Micciulla and Unleash Yourself this past June just after having made the decision to adopt an energetic Golden Retriever / Irish Setter named Henry.  For many months we had discussed the prospect of adopting a dog.  For many months we determined that we were not yet ready for the commitment that we knew would be required to properly care for anything more than ourselves.  And then we met Henry.

            We were visiting my wife’s parents in Ohio on the last stop after three months of travel.  We were ready to get back to Portland.  We were ready to nest.  We were ready for more responsibility.  We thought we were ready for a dog.  And there he was.  The first night that we met Henry, we both knew that he would be coming back to Portland with us.  We giggled together with that sense of awe and excitement that naturally accompanies life’s little synchronicities.  And then our minds took over. 

“Can we really take care of him?”

 “He is pretty wild.  Is he going to destroy our house….our stuff?” 

 “Are we going to be able to provide him with enough exercise?”

 “How much is our world about to change!?”

The list of concerns went on and on and only seemed to increase with the more time we spent with Henry.  I grew up with dogs that were trained in the traditional, “alpha dog” model of coercing and at times forcing dogs into submission.  As I attempted to regulate Henry’s behavior with stern “NO’s!” and other intimidating gestures, I felt very inauthentic….and ineffective.  We knew that we needed guidance and thus began researching trainers and obedience classes. 

After a few days with Henry, we returned to Portland with about one month of time to prepare for his arrival.  At first, my anxiety only increased as I worried how to integrate so much puppy energy into our lives. 

“Is our yard big enough?”

“Is he going to eat everything in our house that isn’t nailed down…and even a few things that are?”

“What in God’s name have we gotten ourselves into?”

And then we met Gina.  With our first meeting, my angst began to dissipate.  We observed Gina working with other clients and their “every bit as hyper as Henry” puppy.  We were awed with the ease with which Gina interacted with this dog and his owner / guides.  We saw her showing them how to implement various management tools and behavior cues and were amazed at how readily their pup responded.  We knew we had found our way.  For the first time I knew without a doubt that we could not only do this…we could do it well. 

The next step for us was to bring Gina into our home and make a plan for Henry’s arrival.  During this session, we had ample time to discuss the philosophy of Unleash Yourself and to begin to strategize about how to initially manage Henry’s rambunctious puppy behavior.  The management tools, we learned would be necessary to prevent Henry from performing undesirable behaviors during the time in which we learned how to teach him more desirable behaviors.  The management tools alone would make life easier…the Unleash Yourself approach as we were about to learn, would set us free.

The Unleash Yourself principles are simple:  As we begin to understand what is motivating our dog, we begin to understand how to redirect the dog into behaviors that meet his needs while simultaneously meeting our needs as guides.  And this brings us back to empathy and compassion.  If I know why Henry is biting me or barking at the neighbors, I am less likely to respond with anger and attempt merely to suppress his behavior.  If I perceive his behavior as originating from fear of a new environment, I can’t help but soften my approach to guiding him.  If even for a second, I stop to consider the possibility that the agitated behavior I am witnessing in my dog could in fact be him mirroring my own anxiety and agitation, I loosen my grip just enough to allow a larger perspective.

This is what Unleash Yourself is all about.  It is a larger perspective of how to relate to our four legged, furry companions.  It is about how to guide ourselves and our dogs into harmony rather than to master them into suppression. 

My wife, Henry and I have been working with Gina for nearly three months.  We are realizing that the process of learning to live harmoniously with Henry will never be complete. Rather, it will be a continual unfolding work in progress.  Just as with life, we are realizing that the further we go, the more we have to learn. 

The Unleash Yourself approach is a journey of discovery.  As we deepen our understanding of Henry, we broaden our understanding of ourselves. As we progress through this blog, my intention is to attempt to illuminate how this process unfolds.  In the coming weeks, I will touch on experiences we have had working with Henry.  As well, I plan to illustrate the new lessons as they come to us, which most assuredly they will.  Consider this an open invitation to join us in this unfolding journey of discovery.