We teach obedience commands but that is not our goal.
Our goal is always life inclusion when both the human and the dog can live life to the fullness.
Obedience is used in our daily structure as a bridge to build — and in some cases, reset — a healthy connection between the human and canine so there is a foundation upon which full life inclusion can become possible.
This is why we don’t ask clients to only spend 15-30 minutes a day to work on sit, down…etc.; instead, we always encourage clients to integrate and incorporate training into their daily life so communication between the human and the dog is ongoing and will become part of their life style.
This life style is all about how to share life in harmony with us in the human world, which can be very daunting and confusing for a lot of dogs. Obedience implemented during our daily life can offer the dogs the valuable information they need — for example, when mom is feeding the baby, you relax on your bed; when we are having dinner, you stay in a down by the living room and not try to beg for food; when someone knocks on the door, you stay quiet and away from the door; when the human sleeps in their bed, you sleep in your crate…etc. These directions can give the dog a “job” and clarify the expectations. It also sets the human up as someone who is able and willing to offering proper guidance so the dog no longer needs to constantly worry and guess about what to do. It nurtures a “follow” mindset when thinking and following has become a habit, a muscle memory, a life style.
With a proper life style in place, we have seen time after time how a dog who was once really difficult to handle will organically offer a very different set of behaviours. With every thing is very clear and easy to understand, they know they can succeed, they are more confident, their minds are no longer in turmoil, they are not easily spooked anymore, and everyone is therefore able to relax and enjoy life to its fullness without a lot of stress.
That is the real beauty of obedience commands. It is the bridge that can lead both the human and canine to the promised land of full life inclusion.
Hope this makes sense.
Thank you.
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