When you observe suffering, you can’t bring yourself to witness another being holding on to life barely surviving without basic needs.
Your heart hurts for them.
You feel compassion and empathy for them and desire to end their suffering.
You may even feel compelled to take action and your action is adopting a companion animal to come home with you.
You know the biological needs like having food, water and shelter are basic for survival and you feel you can provide for them.
As days swing into weeks and you can see your dog settling in.
You feel overjoyed with love in helping your companion satisfy his hunger and thirst.
You see how your dog is sleeping better and throughout the night.
You just love on them.
But, one day, you start recognizing, your dog is knocking things off the counter, chewing things like your shoes, furniture, howling and crying when you leave, frozen at the sight of another dog and even grabbing your kids toys.
You grow confused by this “new” behavior.
You believe, you provided your dog with all the things and now he’s acting out.
When behavior concerns and issues crop up and you can’t see what or believe how your dog can still be suffering, you loose empathy for your companion.
You wonder, “why is my dog being so spiteful” “ungrateful” or you may feel your dog betrayed you.
How can my dog “treat me this way after everything I’ve done for him.”
When your dog has unmet emotional and social needs, they are often misunderstood.
When barking, lunging, growling to unsafe chewing and household destruction leads you into the swirling of confusion and frustration, you start losing hope.
You may even start feeling hatred and anger towards your dog.
These limiting beliefs go deeper than just what your dog is doing.
Your own beliefs about fear get extended to your dog.
You may think that fear is something to be “overcome”, “push forward” or you may even question the even idea your dog may be afraid.
You question how fear of being left alone, strangers or even leaves blowing in the wind can be a thing.
You believe these are insignificant and you begin minimizing them and judge your dog for feeling this way.
Your own limiting beliefs of what fear looks like and how it shows up gets in your own way.
It prevents you from connecting with your companion and only gets you more of the same.
When you make a choice to do something differently and come from a place of where you started, feeling empathy and compassion, you can uncover and start meeting what your dog needs emotionally and socially.
When you are motivated by guiding your dog to feel
Trust,
Safe,
He has choice or dare I say, freedom!
And bonded and connected with you.
You start seeing the world from your dog’s eyes and the innocence in his soul.
Now, you start going back to understanding how meeting your dog’s emotional and social needs starts healing those invisible wounds.
Take steps to heal your dog rather than compounding his suffering.
Four Paws & You Dog Training 