Start Looking for good behavior to be grateful for
By Tamar Geller
“I don’t put up with his BS,” an owner of a Poodle puppy wrote to me… “What BS?” I asked, wondering what kind of BS a 12-week-old puppy could have…
“He’s jumping on me and is trying to chew on things,” the owner answered.
Oh boy, I thought to myself. What was he thinking what he decided to get a puppy? I knew he got the puppy for his 8-year-old daughter, but that level of negative projection was tough to swallow. The puppy was behaving exactly as a puppy should.
I knew that not only I had to coach the puppy on sitting instead of jumping, but also I had to do my best to make the owner see how awesome his puppy actually is.
So we started the “Good Puppy/Gratitude list”. The list came with what a typical puppy does like nipping, peeing and pooping in the house, crying, etc., as well as a list of puppies with issues, such as fearful puppies who would run away from you or try to bite when you pick them up.
Why did I do that? Because I have found that most people don’t realize how good their dog is, until they realize all the issues they DON’T have to deal with.
It took some time, but the owner and his 8-year-old daughter started to see how great their Poodle is. The puppy doesn’t nip at them (I showed them pics I took of other puppy owners’ arms and hands) or cry for attention. Instead, knows how to occupy himself, and how happy he is to come when called instead of ignoring them as so many other dogs do before doggy day care Santa Monica.
Often times, we don’t know how good we have it, until we see how much tougher it is for others. It’s true for dog training, and for life in general. We have to build the muscle of Gratitude, and one of the best ways to do this is to see how others live. For instance, we have running water, we have 2 legs to walk on, we can choose what to wear, and we have a comfortable bed to sleep in.
I’m grateful that I’m not imprisoned like some reporters in war zones are. I’m grateful for not having to walk everywhere and that I get to have a reliable car. I’m grateful that I get to clean dog poop, as it means that I get to work with dogs and not sit in an office all day.
So let’s all be grateful for what we have.
