10 Principles for Achieving Balance Archives - Page 4 of 7

10 Principles for Achieving Balance

Principle 1 For Achieving Balance: Be Aware Of Your Energy.

In nature, when a dog in a pack shows excited or unbalanced energy, the entire pack takes it as a warning of impending danger. It’s remarkable how quickly a sleeping pack of dogs will go on high alert when one dog barks! And it is just as remarkable how quickly the pack settles down when its leader concludes that there is no threat and returns to a calm, assertive state. Now imagine how your dog feels when you express unstable energy. It’s a signal that something is wrong and so he reacts with anxiety, fear or excitement. If you’re not

July 3, 2015 No Comments

10 Principles for Achieving Balance

Principle 2 For Achieving Balance: Live In The Moment

As humans, we experience time differently than dogs do. We’re constantly aware not only of the present, but of past and future. For many of us, that’s where feelings like shame, guilt or regret (past) and fear or anxiety (future) arise. Dogs, on the other paw, live only in the present ‘ in the moment. Living in the moment means dogs are only concerned with what’s happening to them right now, not what happened to them last week or what’s going to happen next Tuesday. It’s a very simple, instinctual way to live and it’s part of what keeps dogs

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10 Principles for Achieving Balance

Principle 3 For Achieving Balance: Know The Difference Between Story And Truth

Cesar says that humans tell stories, while dogs tell the truth. It isn’t until we listen to the truth that our dog is telling us that we can figure out what’s going on and bring balance to the pack. For example, if your dog is constantly pulling paper out of the trash and scattering it all over the house when you’re away, your story might be, ‘She must have thought there was food in there,’ or ‘He did that to let me know he’s angry that I left.’ The truth from the dog is different, and is probably, ‘I’m bored.’

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10 Principles for Achieving Balance

Principle 4 For Achieving Balance: Work With Mother Nature

A dog sees itself in this order: animal, species, breed, and then name. The first two are a part of what a dog is by nature; the last two were created by humans. We run into difficulties with our dogs when we try to treat them primarily as breed and name. Working with Mother Nature means relating to our dogs first as animal and species. Animals live in and deal with nature every day. To be successful and survive, all animals ‘ from rats to whales ‘ must follow the laws of nature. In nature, a dog’s life is very

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10 Principles for Achieving Balance

Principle 5 For Achieving Balance: Honor Your Dog’s Instincts

Because dogs are animals and species first, they all share a common set of instincts. They are connected to nature, live in the moment, communicate with energy and, as pack animals, seek calm and assertive leadership. Consider Instincts of a Dog Breed Although the animal and species instincts are common to all dogs, their breeds can sometimes affect behavior. Breeds were by humans created for different reasons ‘ some dogs were bred to be companions, some to be herders, and some to be protectors. Each was bred to draw out and focus on desired instincts to create dogs that excelled

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A cute dog engages eye contact with a stranger.

10 Principles for Achieving Balance

Principle 6 For Achieving Balance: Nose, Eyes, Ears

The 4th Natural Dog Law tells us that a dog’s senses form her reality. She perceives the world through her nose, eyes, and ears (in that order). That’s very different from our human way of eyes, ears and nose. Mind Your Dog Manners That means if we’re not thoughtful in the way we meet and approach dogs, we can easily breach dog etiquette ‘ possibly sparking unwanted behavior. ‘Nose, eyes, ears’ helps us mind our dog manners. When humans meet for the first time, we make eye contact and often exchange a handshake or hug. It’s very direct and face-to-face.

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Multiple dogs in a pack will figure out the pack order.

10 Principles for Achieving Balance

Principle 7 For Achieving Balance: Know Your Dog’s Natural Pack Position

In nature, there are three positions in the dog pack ‘ front, middle, and back ‘ and each dog will gravitate to its natural place based on relative dominance, with the pack leaders always in front. Pack Positions Work Together Each position has its own function within the pack as they work together to survive. The dogs in front provide direction and protection to the pack. They determine where the entire pack will go, and they fend off any dangers from the front. The dogs in the rear are primarily concerned with alerting to danger approaching from behind, and their

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A woman and her dog share a sweet moment after playing outside.

10 Principles for Achieving Balance

Principle 8 For Achieving Balance: You Create The Dog’s Calm, Submissive State

As a Pack Leader, it’s your goal to bring your dog to a place of calm, submissive energy. It’s not about your dog. Everything begins with you, your energy, your state of mind, and your approach. You are the source of your dog’s calm, submissive state, and your dog is looking to you for guidance. Your Dog Reflects Your Energy If your energy is anxious, nervous, overexcited, angry, frustrated, or some other negative, your dog will reflect that energy. If you are inconsistent in applying your rules, your dog will test you to see what she can get away with.

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10 Principles for Achieving Balance

Principle 9 For Achieving Balance: Be The Pack Leader

Dogs are social pack animals with a leader and followers. In the wild, most dogs are followers, but if they don’t have a leader to follow, a dog ‘ or dogs ‘ will attempt to take control of the situation. The lack of strong leadership leaves the dogs in an unbalanced mental state, and they will do whatever they have to do to fulfill their needs. In nature, this can create chaos in a pack. Unwanted Behaviors The same can happen in a human-and-dog pack where humans don’t fulfill the dog’s instinctual need for a Pack Leader. The dog’s unbalanced

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A man and his dog learn to live in the moment.

10 Principles for Achieving Balance

Principle 10 For Achieving Balance: Life Is Simple – We Make It Complicated

Dogs and dog psychology are not complex; there are only 5 Natural Laws that they follow. If we remember these and listen to the truth that our dogs are telling us ‘ rather than our own stories about them ‘ we make things much simpler for ourselves and our pack. We can keep life simple by living in the moment. Unless you literally are a rocket scientist, you’re probably not dealing with anything very complicated on a day-to-day basis. The complications arise when we start worrying about what’s going to happen instead of dealing with what is happening. Dog’s Live

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