Love Is Selfless Loving someone the way you want to be loved, isn’t loving them. No matter how many gifts you buy me, I won’t feel loved. I’m an acts of service person. Show me you love me by doing things to improve our day to day life. Too many of us are loving our dogs the way WE want to be loved. Some of the happiest dogs in the world have never seen a bed, rain boots, a couch, a leash, a collar, expensive food, treats, etc. Dogs want to have a purpose. They want to feel safe. They crave work, order, structure, clarity, consistency - fairness. In order to provide those things in a way that connects with them, we must learn to speak their language.
Showing them the locks on the door, the security cameras, the gun arsenal, and explaining how 9-1-1 works will not make your dog feel safe. You must prove to them daily that you can be trusted to protect them. How? Being clear, consistent, following through, fulfilling their body/mind/heart, controlling space and having the ability to control the environment on some level. As an example - when you trap your dog on a leash and then let every rude dog and rude person invade his/her intimate space, you’re showing your dog that you can’t control the environment, you can’t control space, and you don’t care about their safety/feelings. This is a deep topic that will be discussed in more detail over time via blogs and podcasts. But let the concept marinate and start to ask yourself - “Am I loving my dog in the way he/she needs me to?”
