What Are Your Reasons?
Note: this column doesn’t contain “training tips” per se, but perhaps it will tickle your brain and encourage you to step back, take a deeper look at the unique canine-human connection, and prompt you to find answers to these questions.
“Why do you love dogs?”
Our deepest reasons for loving and owning dogs isn’t something we often think about. We take it for granted that there’s a dog in the house. For many of us, it’s always been this way: home and family include a dog (or two, or more). But why do we decide to have a dog in our household? What’s in it for us? What’s in it for the dog?
When I pose these questions to my students in a puppy class, responses are varied and range from “I want my kid to spend less time playing video games,” to “I’m hoping this pup will be a good therapy dog prospect,” and everything in between. There has to be more to it than most of the responses I get, which typically stress the “what’s in it for the humans” angle. I ruminate on these questions quite a lot; perhaps you will discover that the following points I make are relevant for you, too.
Every Moment Counts
A significant reason for my love of dogs is that they live “in the moment” and, by doing so, they draw me into the importance of the present. What may happen tomorrow matters no more than what may have happened yesterday. What counts is Now. When you think of it, “now” is all we truly have, and the ability to embrace this way of existing is something to which we can all aspire. It’s not that dogs don’t remember what happened in the past or that the past doesn’t shape their present and future (they do and it does); they are simply experts in what is, right now. Imagine living life unburdened by regrets about the past or worries about what might happen next week. In this life, we would have the freedom to fully immerse ourselves in the Now. What a gift that would be!
When I work with dogs, the passage of time shifts, flashing by almost like it never happened. I join them where they are, and everything beyond the Now slips into an invisible background. I find this to be liberating and refreshing and grounding. “Grounding” captures it nicely. Dogs “ground” us to what is, right now. We sometimes have to let go of the baggage we want to bring with us: grand expectations, assumptions, conventional wisdom.
Unabashed Honesty
100% Honest, 100% of the time. When we tune in to canine body language and are cognizant of its vast library of subtleties, we become hyper aware of their underlying emotional states, moment-to-moment. An ear flick? Lip lick? Did his mouth close for a moment? What is the tail doing? Dogs don’t try to hide how they feel. No, they offer up a running commentary of how they feel, every instant of their awakeness. Are we listening? [Imagine if people had tails and we were forced to be blatantly honest in every interaction we had. OH my! Our culture may require a certain level of white lying, I suppose, in order to maintain a semblance of civility.]
Empathy Builders
Interacting with dogs, and more generally, with animals, connects the human and natural worlds, bridging the divide and helping us see beyond ourselves. Humans are programmed to care for and nurture small living things [Wilson, Edward O. (1984). Biophilia]. The connections our children build with animals has a significant long-term impact. Dogs, being more integrated with us in every aspect of our day-to-day lives, are very accessible, and as such, present many opportunities for connections to deepen. Whereas adults might view dogs as just another body in the family, children have a great curiosity towards these other-than-human creatures.
Nurturers
As mentioned above, humans are genetically programmed to nurture small and helpless creatures. When I raise a puppy, care for a dog or am simply working with a client’s dog, I am nurturing that individual. I want her to thrive, to find joy in the process of learning, to become the best she can become. THIS is what brings me the most joy in life. “Nurturing” implies supporting, caring, respecting, understanding, and listening. It takes the onus off the dog to provide us with what we want and places the responsibility squarely on us to satisfy her needs. The magic in doing this is that all that stuff we desire in a dog may naturally sprout.
Happy Training!
Diana Logan, CPDT-KA Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Knowledge-Assessed
Pet Connection Dog Training, North Yarmouth, Maine
www.dianalogan.com | 207-252-9352