Training from the Heart

Dog training is ultimately an act of communication building as we seek to help our dogs better understand what we expect from them and how we'd like our interactions to unfold.  And just like there are many ways to interact with a fellow human, there are a plethora of choices to be made when it comes to interacting with a canine companion.

Most of us will consider among them such options as our tone of voice, our attitude, our use of both verbal and nonverbal signals, and even our training philosophy--but did you know that we also have choices about where our communication comes from? While it might make sense that our training efforts stem from our minds, allowing us to observe and analyze the dog's behaviors and make necessary adjustments to the process, I'd like to suggest that the best place for them to flow from is our hearts.

Photo by Wendy Colucci -
www.clickshootingstars.com

I offer this for several reasons.  For starters, training (or any other communicative interaction) is not  always a matter of cut-and-dry logic.  In fact, it's more subject to subtle but profound metaphysical nuances than we often realize--and our minds provide very little of use to us here.  Second, focusing on the mind can all too easily over-empower our egos as our frustrations compel us to dominate and control our dogs instead of embracing their wonderful spirits.  After all, most of us would probably prefer a dog with her own special personality to a furry robot. 

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the heart is the center of universal love and compassion.  When we are in tune with it, we can be assured our efforts are grounded in true positivity.  I call this "heart" training; we establish a heart-to-heart connection with our dogs to strengthen our faith in them and their trust in us.

This isn't to say that we should allow our dogs to overrun us or that providing necessarily leadership for a dog is unethical.  Compassionate training ceases to be compassionate if it results in the dog being banished to a crate or backyard because of serious behavioral problems--or if it lends to damage of your personal property or accelerated stress and anger. 

"Heart" training is about honoring the dogs and ourselves simultaneously.  It gives us the courage to look within ourselves and the capacity to provide whatever guidance is necessary for those tail-wagging creatures we've committed our lives to.  We hold them to a high degree of integrity but also acknowledge our own responsibilities in the exchange.