Principles before Purpose

One of the things the Parelli's talk about is making sure you put your principles before your purpose.

One of the My Smart Puppy principles is that - whenever possible - work is something we do with our dogs, not to our dogs. Working with them means we take the time to set up scenarios where they will choose the behavior we want them to choose.

By adhering to that ideal, we engage our dog's brain and once you have the brain, the body has no choice but to follow.

But... this isn't always as easy as it sounds. When we get a purpose in our heads, we can forget to include the dog in process. Instead we go right for our goal - like going to the car and, in the process, hauling the dog behind us like luggage.

This can create resistance to the leash and a desire in your dog to disconnect from you. Not a crisis but not what we want, either.

Fixing this ever-so-human pattern is as simple as pausing, touching the dog and, well, being polite. Taking a few extra seconds to connect with and invite your dog into what you're doing.

I'm really proud any time I see a member here being creative on their dog's behalf - changing things up and trying new things to create the success they want without creating resistance in their dogs.

The point is not how we all do things but in the way the dog responds to what is done. Or, in other words, the point is that we adhere to our principle of "with the dog" even as we go about our different purposes.

by Sarah Wilson

Author of MySmartPuppy.com handbooks: My Smart Puppy (book with DVD) and Childproofing Your Dog