Does living with your dog sometimes feel like you’re riding in a Ferrari with a newly licensed teenager, and you’re barely holding on? Or, maybe you feel like you’re tootling along with a senior driver in an older Buick, smoke pouring out of the exhaust, waving people off the sidewalk? Either way, the partnership is not going how you imagined. You’re not alone, and there are many ways to help you and your dog feel more like a team.
We all have different lifestyles our dogs need to learn how to dog in, and this is where the “RUBBER” (Relationship, Utilitarian Behaviors, Boundaries, Expectations and Reinforcement) meets the road in FUNctional Obedience.
In this session, we will draw real world analogies to help you think about the relationship you currently have with your dog, and to describe where you hope that relationship goes. Continuing the car analogy, I have a high mileage stop and go lifestyle with three low mileage, high octane malinois. Have you considered how you would describe your lifestyle-dog relationship using the car analogy? Each dog, even within their breed, is individual in their “gears” and “drivability” much like their automotive (and human!) counterparts. Each dog has unique maintenance needs, both physical and mental! The same is true with us humans – and this is where relationship building truly begins!
This webinar will help you identify your dog’s needs, and more importantly your needs, within your life at this moment. The Relationship, Utilitarian Behaviors, Boundaries, Expectations and Reinforcement that I establish with my dogs, especially in my multi-dog household, keeps our day-to-day running smoothly. Here’s how:
–> Relationships allow us to understand one another.
–> Utilitarian Behaviors are the key to day-to-day life and reduce conflict. (There are behaviors that can help us enjoy life together better that we may not realize without reflection.)
–> Boundaries are key to building strong relationships. Setting boundaries creates a safe environment where everyone’s needs can be met.
–> Expectations give us habits and routines through consistency.
–> Reinforcement is incredibly FUN and builds and solidifies all of the components…
when the RUBBER meets the road.
Let me help you see both yourself and your dog differently, while reflecting on ways to improve your life with your dog through FUNctional obedience, no matter what your competition or non-competition goals are. This webinar is about reflecting, planning and observing your day-to-day life and how to make it better for both you and your dog(s). (Plus, spending time with an ADHD high school art teacher of 20+ years by day, and protection sport decoy/helper with three malinois by night, is guaranteed entertainment and education! Hope to see you soon!)
Presenter: Crystal Wing
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