Dog lovers. If you are here, I have no doubt you are truly a dog lover. Maybe not all dogs, but certainly your dog! Because you are here, I want to give you first chance at our Dog Lover Necklace Giveaway!
What Games are You Playing With Your Dog?You know the games your dog is playing are all about your life right?
What games are you playing in life? Do you ever take short bits of time and just play with your dog? Or are they games that leave you filled with excuses, lack and feeling a bit empty about each and every day?
The Perfect Game – Life With Dogs
Your dog’s version of perfect game is certainly a life well played and a life well loved. And honestly we all want that too.
But, us humans have all kinds of conflicting criteria as to what makes us happy. Money, career, the person to be with, the right job, owning our own business. The big house with the white picket fence, a nice car, a couple of kids and the well behaved dog.
And we also tend to carry around a lot of excuses as to why we don’t have those thing we define as happiness.
Are you sitting on the sidelines watching. Being a full blown spectator? You wanna have a say in your own personal life but you just aren’t willing to get out there and play?
And what in the world does that have to do with the life you live with your dog?
Everything.
I hear it all the time. My dog does this thing, (go ahead, list all your irritations here)..
She’s doesn’t listen to me.
She’s too hyper, can’t concentrate on what I want her to do. Sitting for a minute is beyond her capability.
She’s a ball of anxiety. New things leave her wanting to check out. Hide in the corner. Everything seems like a chore.
She’s destroyed my newest favorite pair of shoes again.
She barks non stop at anything that walks past “her” house.
Go ahead. Make your list. Do it. Right now… then come back and read this…
Now think about all those things you listed about your dog, the things that really bug you, the things you wish you could change with a wave of a wand. Abracadabra. Fixed!
Read them again, and then think of how in your own personal life you are playing those same exact things out. Oh yeah. OMD… Oh My Dog. Yeppers. We point the finger at our dog, and there are four pointing back at you.
She doesn’t listen to me = you know a lot of times when you should be listening, even learning but instead you are talking over top of someone else, or you don’t even hear what they say because you’re too busy formulating what you are going to say in response.
You’ve got 15 projects you really want to get done, and 45 tabs open on your computer. The multi-tasking has become such a habit you finish nothing but become really good at starting everything = way too hyper, can’t focus long enough to sit for more the 3.5 seconds.
You want to start something new, move, change our life, get a new boyfriend or girlfriend, stop drinking and get fit, but actually taking the necessary steps to do it, that thought brings total ANXIETY, it stops you cold in your tracks = the dog who freaks at the thought of your leaving, or the leaf that just blew across the yard when you let her out to go pee.
Get In The Game
I challenge you today. If you have been sitting on the sidelines; GET IN THE GAME.
Play it. The things you want to do. Do them. Stop being so hyper and grabbing at all the shiny bits out there. Concentrate on what you want. And do that thing. Get everything else out of the way.
If you spend hours and weeks and months worrying, building anxiety about what’s next, what if this happens or what if that happens… I challenge you. Get in the game. Concentrate on exactly what you want. Make a list of how you can get it. And every single time anxiety arises; do something on that list. Get in the game.
And how do you get your dog in the game? Get all those things that bug you so much to magically disappear?
Honestly, you’re playing the same game here. You have a hyper dog, jumps on you, spins around, you’re practically dizzy just getting a leash on. The shiny bits went way out of control in your dogs mind. Practice sit. For more than a minute. Over and over. It’s an exercise that is extremely calming.
I know. Sounds way too simple. But we’ve worked ourselves into it just can’t be done because we’ve created expectations around the way my dog just is. I’ll just put up with it. It’ll either just go away if I wish it away long enough, or when I have more time I’ll get some help (exit to scrolling the facebook feed)… how many hours do you spend there that you could be playing the game of life creating exactly what you want, from decluttering to a new career, to spending a little bit time each day getting your dog to sit instead of letting her spin out. How many hours have you wasted not working on that?
Practice becomes permanent. An exercise as simple as sit, it’s calming. It builds confidence. It can even be a game.
Do This Thing With Your Dog and You’ll Play More Good Games
Sitting is zen for dogs. Grounded. Then you can move on to the next thing. Throw in a daily walk, things really change for you and your dog! It’s all a psychology I teach in my ecourse on how to life the life you really wanted with your dog. Of course I work with people privately too, but for now, just start. All on your own.
The big deal is, get in the game and to do that you gotta start.
What’s your game of life? What game do you want to play with your dog? Go do it! You can do anything you want. You can teach your dog a ton of stuff, like the dog on the skateboard. It’s a matter of how you view it. Would you rather sit on the sidelines or do you want to get in the game and play hard?
DO IT. Ask Me Anything You Want About Your Dog. In Fact, If I Gave You A Genie In A Bottle And Granted You 3 Wishes For Your Relationship With Your Dog, What Would They Be? Grant Me My 3 Dog Wishes
Wish 1 Wish 2 Wish 3
Click the button below and schedule your no charge dog lifestyle session with me today. Grant Me My 3 Dog Wishes
*Note: the button will provide a place for your e-mail and then and then it will take you to a calendar to pick a time that works for you so that you can have the best dog ever. Pick it, add the contact info where I can reach you and you’ll hear from me at the appointed time. It’s pretty cool really.
Working with dogs encompasses many aspects of my professional and personal life. From training dogs, running with dogs, walking with dogs, to literally coaching people to a lifestyle they want more of, which usually includes leaving stress and worry behind and developing their passions and relationships, we can learn much from a simple daily dog walk or a quick run.
Dogs have a way of making us aware of developing those moments of pure joy and then building on more of that. At least for me, much of my mentoring and coaching centers around those concepts. And they work!
Karen Palmer The Secret To Puppy Love
I bring you a guest post by Karen Palmer who is the best-selling author of “Dogs are gifts from God” and the Ground-breaking innovative energy healing dog training guide “The Secret to Puppy Love” as a Kundalini Yoga Instructor Karen helps people discover the magic within. She has combined all her spiritual gifts to be a Conscious Dog Trainer, and a Non-Profit Business Leader. She is working to bring environmental education, animal advocacy, and kindness to public schools.
It is my intention to bring other philosophies to this blog, we all have our learning styles and what speaks to us internally. Note that my dog and people training may differ from that of my guest posters! 🙂 Please enjoy Karen’s view on walking with dogs.
Karen’s Mindful Dog Walking Tips
How to Enjoy Walking Your Dog
The most important thing to do first is be in a calm state of mind. Please don’t try to accomplish this if you are in a hurry . Your companion reads your energy and your body language and even knows you are thinking about going for a walk.
I suggest you meditate or listen to relaxing music while your friend is in the room with you. This can be for five minutes or up to a half hour, it’s up to you. Create a bond with your pet by petting and massaging up and down the spine. This is very relaxing for both of you. You can download a free meditation you can do with your dog that will help both of you relax at PositivelyPetsAndKids.com
Be mindful as you approach your dog with the leash. Walk your dog slowly over to the door and have him sit and stay as you calmly open the door. Please make sure your dog stays calm watching you open the door; this is setting the tone. Claim the space of the open door and do not let the dog walk through until you lead. Treat for good listening and slowly walk out the door with your dog by your side and a loose leash in your hand.
The walk will begin with you setting the pace you can walk as slow or fast as you would like just make sure your dog is by your side or behind you. Your body language is very important. Keep your shoulders back and your spine straight. This will help your dog understand we are on the walk. If the dog tries to pull, correct by slightly pulling up on the leash and making a sound that your dog responds to. I use the word slow and walk slowly and mindfully.
When your dog is walking perfectly, you can reward him by inviting him to an area where he can sniff. 70% of your dog’s attention is on smelling. That means we only have 30% of their attention so I suggest having a treat in your pocket that smells really good. Enjoy the walk together and be in the moment. Notice the beautiful flowers, the bright blue sky, the green trees. Feel gratitude fill your heart and notice how peaceful your dog is too.
Return to your house and make sure you walk through the door first. Take the collar and leash off your dog and give as much affection and praise as you would like. This is a beautiful way to walk your dog. Your dog will feel peaceful and content and you can go about your day. Dogs read our energy and the more relaxed you are on the walk you will notice your dog enjoying the walk too.
DO IT. Ask Me Anything You Want About Your Dog. In Fact, If I Gave You A Genie In A Bottle And Granted You 3 Wishes For Your Relationship With Your Dog, What Would They Be? Grant Me My 3 Dog Wishes
Wish 1 Wish 2 Wish 3
Click the button below and schedule your no charge dog lifestyle session with me today. Grant Me My 3 Dog Wishes
*Note: the button will provide a place for your e-mail and then and then it will take you to a calendar to pick a time that works for you so that you can have the best dog ever. Pick it, add the contact info where I can reach you and you’ll hear from me at the appointed time. It’s pretty cool really.
Ok, so you love your dog. But, there’s these things that he does that drive you crazy. Or you just don’t understand why after all this time, the thousands of times you’ve told him, asked him, pleaded with him to just do this one thing and he still doesn’t get it.
Dog One On One Listening Skills
Well, there are reasons for it. Mainly that your dog thinks and learns much differently than we do and we are constantly trying to logic with him.
Here’s a big secret.
Your dog does not have the capacity to logic.
I know, I know. You mean you’ve been jabbering on all this time and your dog heard, blah, blah, blah, blah… ya wanna treeeat? Oh yeah, ears perk up, tail wags. He got that one.
Why?
Find out why that worked and the rest of what you said didn’t with a simple 15-30 minute phone session with me. No charge.
The way you live with your dog is as individual as it comes. Which is why so many dog training classes don’t exactly work… and why… I’m putting together some new dog lifestyle programs and an dog training ecourse that can be access online and I want to know exactly what you need help with. So I’ve set up a way for you to schedule a consultation with me and get whatever questions you have about your dog answered.Yep, once again. No charge.
You can ask anything. Could be about:
Behavior • Health • Fitness
Whatever dog lifestyle you want to create. Ask me. And no, I’m not here to sell you on a dog training class you don’t even have the time to go to, nor do you want to try that route again. I’m doing this to find some real solutions for dog people who:
Want to have a better time with the dog they love but just doesn’t quite get exactly what you’re trying to get them to understand.
Want to know how to integrate quality dog time in when you’re on a limited time budget.
How to prepare for your dog getting older.
Your puppy is a nightmare, and yet everyone says they love puppies! What am I doing wrong? (there’s one thing that can help this hugely, and it’s way easier than you think, costs you nothing and is super duper good for you too).
You have ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR DOG! Anyway, join me. Ask me anything. It’s a free dog lifestyle session ($75) value. No charge!
DO IT. Ask Me Anything You Want About Your Dog. In Fact, If I Gave You A Genie In A Bottle And Granted You 3 Wishes For Your Relationship With Your Dog, What Would They Be?
Wish 1 Wish 2 Wish 3
Click the button below and schedule your no charge dog lifestyle session with me today. Grant Me My 3 Dog Wishes
*Note: the button will take you to a calendar to pick a time that works for you. Pick it, add the contact info where I can reach you and you’ll hear from me at the appointed time. It’s pretty cool really.
Dog Leash Training That Will Make Your Life so Much Easier!
*guest post by Austrian Pro Dog Trainer Brigid Weinzinger
Dogs pull on leashes.
Full stop.
Like it was a law of nature.
Do you feel like this sometimes?
Like there is nothing you can do about it? Not much at least. Because you have tried it all and still you got that dog of yours pulling on the leash.
Well, your are not alone! We have all been there!
As a matter of fact there are solid reasons why your dog pulls on the leash.
(I’ll go there in a minute!)
However, there is no reason to stay there.
You, too, can have your dog walking nicely on leash with you.
Without years of harsh training or putting stuff on your dog that will just hurt and harm them.
And I will tell you how.
Before that we’ll just take a quick glance at why the dog pulls in the first place.
There are three simple reasons
Reason:That interesting thing over there! Dogs follow their impulses, go for whatever isinteresting, smells interesting.And bet you: most of the time that interesting thing is well beyond the range of the leash.Plus dogs move faster than humans do (at least as a general rule). So what do you end up with? A dog that pulls on the leash trying to get to the interesting thing.It takes impulse control and thus training to not pull.
Reason:You pull on the leash!
Have you ever watched your first reaction when the dog starts pulling? Yes, your reflex is to pull or jerk back. It is simple physics: force and countervailing force.In plain language: the dog pulls, you pull. The terrible thing, though: The same thing will happen to your dog. You pull, so they pull. Countervailing force!It will just go on till you end up in a tug of war on the leash or you decide to break the vicious circle.How do you expect your dog to keep the leash loose when you don’t?
Reason: It works!
Dogs will do what works and stop doing what doesn’t. It’s what learning theory calls the “Law of Effect“. If the effect of leash pulling is success – as in, “I get to go where I want to go and faster than any other way“ – the dog will continue the successful strategy. Honestly, anything else would be madness, wouldn’t it? Now, who set the dog up for success with pulling?
Yes. You. Because you walk along and let yourself get pulled.Sure way of actively teaching your dog to pull! So don’t complain if they do…
By now you probably have a notion of where we’ll be going….
Eliminate the reasons Establish impulse control Effectively train for success on a loose leash
Let me give you the best three tips I can come up with for that later.
We are talking best three tried and tested on hundreds of dogs!
They always work. Always! I mean ALWAYS!
Provided the human part in the equation stays cool and consistent :).
Does it really matter what type of leash or collar or harness you use?
Oh Yes!
Let me tell you a short story: Many years ago with my first dog, a then very young and (always) lovely lab called Maluna I spent some days with a great dog trainer and was asked to join them for a group training. It involved walking in a group of dogs on leash trough a stretch of forest at 6am. God! That was going to soooo embarrassing: me half sleep walking at 6am with a dog who never ever was on leash in the forest (only in the city) and not used to being in a group of dogs!
You know what saved me? The night before I had bought a harness instead of a collar and a 3 metres leash instead of the short 1.5 metres leash. It worked magic! The harness was so much more comfortable for her, no pressure on her sensitive throat which she tried to escape from! The 3 metres gave her enough space to walk normally, take a sniff here and catch up again. Pure magic!
Since then I have changed hundreds of dogs onto nicely fitted harnesses and long leashes – and it always does the trick! So go and get some of the magic for your doggy, too!
(and don’t they look pretty? Yes, that’s the famous Malune in the pic!)
Make Leash Pulling a Failure!
Remember? Your dog pulls because it works. Well, make sure it doesn’t!
That requires you to do one thing that sounds simple but does take some practice: The very second you feel the leash isn’t slack or loose, you stop. Immediately! Keep your elbow to your side, let your feet stop and grow roots. Your dog must not have any success with pulling. Not one centimeter of ground to be gained through pulling. The only way to ensure that pulling does not work any more!
Be prepared that your dog might try really hard and even jump into the leash. After all it’s a case of, darn it, this always used to work!!! I’ll try just a bit harder“.
Just stand still, don’t move. Don’t pull back. Keep breathing. Stay calm.
And wait. Wait for this one moment when your dog notices that pulling won’t work and when they are maybe giving you that doubtful glance (hey there, what is going on?“), call them and reward when they come. What happens? Your dog will have stopped the pulling and procured the slack in the leash – which you reward. BINGO!
Reward the Loose Leash. Reward and Reward!
Let’s be honest: As long as the dog behaves nicely we normally don’t do anything. Only when their behavior takes a turn to the unwanted do we start to react and want to change things. The nice walking on leash goes unnoticed, the pulling gets immediate attention. It is human nature, so don’t blame yourself!
But please train yourself to do otherwise – to reward all the good things your dog is offering.You remember that dogs will do what is successful? So make sure the right behaviours are successful!The secret in successful leash training lies in the timely rewards.
Reward as long as the leash is loose! Use great treats! Reward frequently! If need be reward every two steps on a loose leash in the beginning. Then start asking for more steps and more and turn your frequent rewards into occasional ones. Make leash walking a fun game and you will get a dog who won’t leave your side any more…
Brigid Weinzinger lives and works with animals and their humans. She has made her passion her profession and offers soulful animal training and coaching to all who want to experience the same magic she finds in animals: Deep bonding, an understanding beyond words and the joy of learning and discovering things together (including good manners with each other). She lives in Austria and posts on http://www.denktier.com.Sign up for her blog and a free brochure “Share the Joy, Double the Fun with your Dog“ or follow her and her animal adventures and advice on http://www.facebook.com/brigiddenktier.
How would your life, your work, your dating life, your relationship with your husband, wife or children change if you could get a little surge of oxytocin whenever you wanted?
WHAT? Is that some sort of illegal drug and what does it have to do with my dog?
NO. It’s not an illegal drug.
It’s a hormone, one that is known to clear up anxiety, deal with stress, make you feel good; it creates bonding that rocks. It’s a thing that if you could put in pill form, people would be clearing the shelves, buying enough to not run out. Ever.
What Does Ocytocin and Running With Your Dog Have To Do With One Another?
Connection releases oxytocin. Real connection. And our dogs are one of the easiest things to start connecting with. They have no judgements, they are just simply happy to be with you.
Combine getting outdoors and a little exercise and you’re golden. Oxytocin galore.
Running just 15 minutes 3-5 times a week could make all the difference in the world on how you feel. And let me just tell you, your dog’s life will change dramatically. For the good.
How To Start Running With Your Dog
Heading out the door with your dog ready to put a 5 miler in when you haven’t been running in a very long time, or maybe you’ve never been a runner, isn’t a very good idea.
Just sayin…
And then there’s that thing about how to get your dog to run nicely on a leash when they haven’t done it before.
The best way to start is to experiment with some easy running drills in a field, park or for those who actually get to live in Maui, the beach to start. It’s good for more than a few reasons.
One good reason when it comes to training your dog to run with you is you can run a short distance, then turn and go in another direction, many times. It is a great help in teaching your dog to stay by your side, rather than pull ahead.
Dogs do what works for them or what you let them get away with. If you let them pull ahead, they will. If you let them drag behind, they will. It’s only a game for them, they just don’t know the rules.
Once your define the rules by requiring your dog follow you closely in expectation of a direction change, it becomes clear. This running thing means to hang by you and follow every move you make!
Another good reason to start running with dogs using these steps is it takes the idea that it’s a huge undertaking away.
Start with running back and forth in a park, field, beach or open space. Make it 10 or 15 minutes. Done. It won’t be long and the movement, the fresh air, the quality time spent with your dog and the oxytocin release will have you wanting to up your time and distance to get more of a good thing!
Seriously.
You’ll be ready to move on to longer sustained running sessions on a trail, road or on the beach and you’ll both be stoked about it.
You’ll hydrate more. Drinking 8 glasses of water is the recommended staple to stay hydrated. No one does it. Or very few people.
Also true, dogs may have water out available but most dogs don’t drink enough on their own. Add a run session in and your dog will naturally drink more. You should however, make water available all the time and encourage your dog to drink after every single run session you have together.
So… I’d like to make this really easy for you so that you can have the life you love with your dog by your side.
GO DO IT. And if you have questions put them in the comments below. I’d love to answer them. The fact that you are here now indicates to me that you are committed to have that oxytocin feeling all the time!
7 Ways Your Dog is Better Than Therapy and WAY More Effective
As a Professional Dog Trainer, there’s one skill you can attain that is more powerful than any other.
Do you know what it is?
My friend Dawn Celapino does.
It’s NOT building a new website. It’s not making friends with every vet in town in hopes of referrals. It’s not doing tricks with your dog in front of Petco.
If you want the answer watch this video and fill out this survey.
Want more videos on how to teach your own dog yoga class, what to charge, and how to get your dog training business on the map with this very powerful class?
Ask your personal questions on how to start your own dog yoga class here:
Dawn has teamed up with the best in the dog business world and is going to show you how to incorporate this one class into your own business and create repeat business from high paying dog owners.
Master this class and you’ll find the secret to getting more clients who KEEP coming back, who bring new clients with rave reviews from benefits they receive for their dogs and themselves.
It’s powerful.
Talk soon,
Jt Clough
PS If you have tons of dog training clients already this will bring you BIG profits because they won’t go away never to be seen until they get a new dog. They’ll stay with you and KEEP paying you.
PSS If you have too few clients this class will put you on the map in your area.
Dog Necklace Giveaway!
