I was chatting with one of my coaches the other day and she mentioned the idea that “we’re all just trying to get our needs met.”
This resonated with me because each one of us from humans to our companion animals are seeking out ways to meet our core needs of connection, belongingness, certainty/consistency, novelty, growth and contribution.
Connection: The need to have secure attachments and loving bonds with trusted caregivers.
Belongingness: Feeling our lives are significant and have meaning.
Certainty: Predictability. Consistency. This is where all of us including our dogs, develop a feeling of freedom in being our selves.
Novelty: New experiences, adventure, playfulness and anything and everything that enriches our lives.
Growth: Learning, expansion, developing our skils, passions and abilities. Reaching new heights and taking healthy risks.
Contribution: Service and sharing ourselves with our world. All of us (including our dogs) are social beings even if cultures assert independence and doing things ourselves. We weren’t meant to live isolated from one another. We were designed to live in community with each other.
Our dogs show us everyday how these core needs are important to them.
They guide us (if we listen) to deepen our awareness of what truly matters.
Our dogs are our guides to better understanding ourselves and what is important to us because they live their lives authentically and effortlessly.
What would happen if you took a cue from your companion animal and stepped into living your life more aligned with what we all inherently need (connection, belongingness, certainty, novelty, growth and contribution)?
What does that look like for you?
Feel free to share in the comments!
Four Paws & You Dog Training 
This is a fairly new concept for me and my family since getting our pup almost 2 years ago. Even though we’ve ALL had pets as kids or in my daughter’s case….several years ago….I don’t think we ever realized how important it was to give our pup the respect to LEAD us. We are certainly a work in progress but we’re happy to be on this journey. Love how this flows over into human interactions as well. We’re all connected.
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I love how open you are to expanding your understanding! Relationships are interconnected and what we receive from one type of relationship it flows into the next and we all expand. Thank you for sharing and keep on receiving whatever shows up!
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