What are Your Expectations?

I read this quote the other day by Rona Minarik, “Expectations are premeditated resentments.”

I don’t know about you, but this blew my mind.

As a trainer and coach, I often hear from clients about their deep feelings of frustration in how their dogs are “not listening” or “not obeying the rules”.

When we expect a dog who remains at an emotional age of a 2 year old toddler to follow the rules immediately and explicitly every single time and they don’t, you are already setting yourself and your dog up for failure.

Your expectations are the building blocks for the type of relationship you’re building with your dog and when the foundation is rocky, how can you expect your dog to trust or feel safe with you and therefore make the choice to be with you?

You are creating the life with your dog to be frustrating and this is making you angry.

When you ask yourself, what motivates you to create these expectations, what shows up?

Do you find yourself comparing yourself to others?

What do you feel when you think about how others may be perceiving your dog’s behavior?

You have the power within yourself to change how you feel about your dog which will directly impact how you perceive your dog’s behavior.

When you recognize you’re feeling angry and frustrated because you’re telling yourself your dog is “bad” or “disobedient” interrupt this thought pattern.

When you become conscious of these limiting beliefs in the present moment, you can begin recognizing what’s laying beneath the surface and this is where your own transformation can begin.

You begin recognizing you are not your feelings.

Your emotions don’t control you, but you have the power to change how you feel about what’s going on with your dog.

How do you take a step back from the situation and reevaluate what’s going on?

Find Out More!

Living an Embodied Life with Your Dog

The felt relationship goes beyond what we know or what words can describe intellectually.

The felt relationship is embodied in the heart and where a deep connection and bond is with another being.

Love springs up and expands our worldview of what is possible and where you can go on this journey together.

Dogs are emotional and sentient beings who deserve our love and our connection.

Let go of old notions of what living with a dog looked like and instead choose how you want to feel living with your dog.

One of my clients did just this.

She wanted her dog to experience a life well lived with her, but traditional dog training classes fell short.

She saw the skills she was learning were useful, but it didn’t touch on how to integrate these skills into daily living activities.

My client wanted to get to the heart of the matter and help her dog feel more comfortable in new situations and around other people and in a changing environment.

She and her dog are learning how to communicate with one another.

She gives opportunity for choices and she’s learning every day what her dog needs and wants.

This is what the Growl to Grow Dog Training and Support Program is all about-building connection and guiding you how you embody the relationship you want to create with your dog.

Build Rapport with Your Clients

We all have our lived experience shaping how we interact with the world around us.

When our clients are struggling with their dog’s behavioral concerns, they are left feeling confused, frustrated or even worried about what’s going to happen.

For sure they don’t want the issue to get worse, but they are also inundated with conflicting information which doesn’t leave them feeling confident in how they can address what’s going on effectively.

This is where you, the pet professional comes in.

Most often, you’re the last resort.

The pet parent is relying on you.

Establishing the client relationship is a delicate balance of being supportive as well as grounding the client in how they choose to implement training protocols and management strategies as a lifestyle routine.

None of this is easy.

But, it can happen when the rapport between you and the client is established allowing for harmonious communication to flow through you all.

Here are useful strategies in starting off the client relationship on the right foot.

  1. Remember your client’s (not just the dog’s names!) This helps you connect with the person in front of you.
  2. Find common ground. As a pet professional, you most likely went through some struggles and were determined to find answers. You also felt worried or had other concerns about what your dog was experiencing. Remember, you clients are in the same boat! They sought you out for answers and your own experience can help you get into the shoes of your client.
  3. This leads me to say, remain empathetic. People are really struggling and in order to help the dogs, you must understand where the person is coming from too. Even our ideal clients struggles. Understanding how to reach your clients in the way you’ll be received and seeing that satisfying their need to be heard and understood will help you, help their dog. The human-human connection is vital for change.
  4. Mind your body language. When you’re active listening, make sure to give your full attention. Nothing says, “I don’t care” when attention is taken away by being distracted or not giving eye contact to your client. But also, don’t stare!
  5. Active listening is vital to the client relationship. Being able to hear the emotions under the words being spoken and reframe these sentiments to your client. This can help your client be heard. In many situations, our clients may feel alone as others in their inner circles don’t understand their struggles. Be the person who understands and reframe their beliefs can help you connect and get at the heart of the matter.