Freebie! Webinar - Is Your Dog Really a Cat? (in disguise)
Is your dog really a cat in disguise? Join me for this FREE webinar where we find the answer!
Sometimes my work with clients is all about perceptual changes.
A new way of explaining canine behaviour will 'click' and suddenly they see their dog in a whole new light.
They say, "YES! That's exactly how my dog is!" and from that point on, they can never 'unsee' it again! It changes everything.
I had exactly this experience very recently. My client was struggling with her dog's lack of... hmm... how shall we put it... co-operation...!
The boy had started refusing to come in from the garden, and growling when she wanted to towel his feet dry. He'd stare at her if she asked him to move off the sofa, and didn't seem to like being touched any more.
It was beginning to make her a little nervous.
She played it down, but I could hear the concern in her voice. The wobble. The lack of confidence. And once someone loses confidence in their dog, all kinds of bad things start happening.
They stop enjoying their dog. The relationship starts to become a power struggle, not a team game.
They start looking for more signs of 'bad' behaviour: they have a negative bias and can no longer see the good stuff
They project ahead - thinking all kinds of terrible things may happen as a result of their dog saying 'No'.
And their dog says, "You're acting weird, human. You're freaking me out. I feel uncertain around you now...."
And we are suddenly in a negative feedback loop, and that's not a good place to be.
Of course, in this sort of scenario, positive training and some really good, science-based behavioural interventions are going to be all-important. But ahead of that, there's some understanding that needs to be had.
Because this lady had previously been living with a dog-dog.
But this one was a cat-dog.
And as soon as I said it, she understood.
Want to know what I meant?
Watch my brand new (bite-sized!) webinar... for free!
And see if your dog is really a cat in disguise....
