A lot of my clients call their dogs their soul mate or their son. But the dog tears up the furniture or drags the client all over the neighborhood on a walk. The client pleads with the dog to behave, cajoles the dog, and offers him treats with no change in the dogs behavior.
Why? Dogs are animals, and they respond to calm, assertive leadership not emotional arguments or negotiations.
Fulfillment Formula
Even if you don't know anything about dogs or dog psychology, knowing how to fulfill a dog will allow him to live in a balanced way and achieve a healthy state of mind.
Dogs don't need humans to achieve balance we need to help them achieve balance when they live in our world. Its our responsibility to fulfill their needs as nature intended them to be fulfilled within the pack.
How does this work? Through my fulfillment formula: exercise, then discipline and, finally, affection. As the human pack leader you must set boundaries, rules and limitations and always project a calm, assertive energy.
Getting Off Track
The way people like to fulfill their dogs is love first, then affection and no leadership.
The term fulfillment means fulfilling your life in the way nature intended it, whether you are a dog or a zebra or a human.
Affection and love fulfill humans, not dogs. Dogs don't need affection from us to feel balanced or aligned. Those are human needs.
We must remember this in our relationships with our dogs. Fulfillment you as pack leader, the dog as follower must happen every day.
We will achieve that in love feeling that every dog owner wants when we take responsibility for our dogs state of mind before our own.
Finally, remember that in love doesn't mean connection. You will only connect with your dog and feel in tune with him when you fulfill him on a primal level as nature intended it.
Next Step: Calm, Assertive Energy and Calm, Submissive Energy
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Note: Cesar Millan is a professional. Please consult a qualified trainer before attempting these techniques with your dog.
For more information, visit Cesar Millans Dog Psychology Center where the express purpose is to rehabilitate and maintain a dogs natural state of being.