What if you let go of labeling an experience as good or bad and instead just saw it as is?
Take for instance, your dog barking. If you let go of taking the barking personally, then labeling the behavior as being bad because your preference of no barking goes away.
How would that change how you feel about the experience?
When the experience doesn’t match what you desire to actually be happening, your expectation overrides what is actually occuring right in front of you.
When you slip out of the present moment, your thoughts take over and your inner critic emerges and gets louder and louder.
You may also may become worried and anxious about the future.
In the instance of your dog barking, when you slip out of the present moment, you may judge yourself for being bad for not being able to stop your dog from barking, or even label your dog as bad and blame him for doing what is natural to him.
Or, you may be worried about the what ifs of your dog barking when guests are planned to come over for a party at your house over the weekend. The anxious mind spins wildly out of control which then makes you feel like you have no control.
When you get back to your grounded being, you begin to access your creative mind and you begin seeing you have choices of what you can do.
Take a breath.
Be still.
Be open to what creative options show up and feel free to share below 🙂
Katherine Porter is a force free, reward based dog behavior advisor and consultant serving clients and their companion dogs worldwide. Her calm and gentle approach in coaching clients in effectively communicating what they want to their dog blends her MSW background into her dog training and behavior practice.
Katherine was a behavior consultant for Heeling Hounds after graduation. She opened Four Paws and You Dog Training LLC when the military relocated her family to Fort Sill, OK in 2015. During this time, she volunteered with Rainbow Bridge Can Wait where she provided post adoption consultations to new pet parents. She also developed and implemented tailored behavior modification plans for highly reactive dogs residing at the shelter. She also provided educational programs to military children through interactive workshops at the Fort Sill School Age Center.
In 2017, Katherine relocated Four Paws and You Dog Training LLC to Germany. She served the Armed Forces communities in Bavaria. She continued coaching and advising her clients in addressing their companion dog’s fearful and reactive behavioral issues. Katherine takes a Do No Harm approach first and foremost in providing behavioral plans. She is committed in serving clients with gentle and modern science approaches in modifying behavioral concerns such as reactivity, aggression, separation anxiety and fear based responses.
Katherine is a member of the Pet Professional Guild. She is focused on integrating a holistic and modern approach in addressing her client’s pet companion reactive behavior issues.
View more posts
Four Paws & You Dog Training 