Quote of the Day – May 20, 2010

A hug is like a boomerang – you get it back right away.

- Bil Keane

Quote of the Day – May 19, 2010

Stealing someone else’s words frequently spares the embarrassment of eating your own.

- Peter Anderson

Quote of the Day – May 11, 2010

Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything

- George Bernard Shaw

The Tao of Jax – Training – The Real Mystery

Why does my dog chase after cars?

Why does my dog chew my couch every time I leave?

Why does my dog eat his own poop? – Answer here!

I hear these questions a lot. Without trying to sound too philosophical, I offer this simple and very true answer…

The reason is because you ask the question!

For many dog owners (especially first time owners) your dog’s behavior is all based on what “tricks” the dog can perform upon command.

Sit

Stay

Roll Over

High Five

Other Paw

Sound familiar? I’m not saying this is wrong… if it works for you and your lifestyle, by all means, continue. This will develop a very reactionary dog who will respond to your commands – as long as he knows the command you’re asking of him/her.

But, if you’re looking for a deeper connection with your dog, where commands are unnecessary due to the relationship and deep understanding that you share with your dog, perhaps a whole different approach is necessary.

Instead of trying to “force” actions by your dog, take a step back and allow your dog to just be. Don’t try to make it work – simply allow. For many of you this concept may be completely foreign and therefor frightening. Dogs are hardwired with hundreds or even thousands of years of instinct which tells them how to act in certain situations. So if you try to push your dog to do something it doesn’t naturally want to do, you have all those years pushing back. If you allow a dog to act in it’s natural state, and become a conscious and quiet observer, you will understand what motivates the dog, making it easier to work with him/her.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ALLOWING AND WANTING

Most people think they’re allowing they’re dog to be; when they’re actually wanting them to be. Wayne Dyer explains this difference perfectly in his book, “Change your Thoughts, Change your Life“:

Think of gardening and desiring those luscious homegrown tomatoes. Allowing them to grow is ultimately what happens. Now think about all of the things in life that involve wanting and how they differ from allowing: Wanting to go to sleep, for instance, rather than actually sleeping. Wanting to diet, rather than actually dieting. Wanting to love, rather than loving.

Jax’s Yak Back

(Jax’s advice for Us Humans)

It’s not just us… Of course this can be applied to you humans too… What are you wasting your time wanting when you can just lay in the sun, relax and allow. Scott and I will show you some simple ways to work with your dog and develop natural behaviors in both you and your dog. If you ALLOW it, your dog can be your greatest teacher!

Quote of the Day – May 10, 2010

I am imagination. I can see what the eyes cannot see. I can hear what the ears cannot hear. I can feel what the heart cannot feel.

- Peter Nivio Zarlenga

Quote of the Day – May 7, 2010

A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.

- Lou Holtz

Quote of the Day – May 5, 2010

Avoid claiming personal credit for your gifts. Simply bless them and be thankful for being a powerful tool in which God works through. Be a humble servant and know that you never act alone. This is the wisdom that will serve you when you are on top and when you are on the bottom.

- Debbie Ford

Quote of the Day – May 3, 2010

You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.

- Henry Drummond

Dog Blog – Why Do Dogs Eat Poop?

Tired of your dogs crappy breath due to eating their poop?

It’s an issue that us humans really don’t understand. All we see is:

- Dog eats

- Dog poops

- Dog eats poop

- Human pukes

- Human yells

- Dog poops again

Before we talk about how to stop your dog from eating it’s feces, let’s first look at why they have the urge to buffet on their own excrement.

One reason a dog may order a “poop de jour” is because they think they are doing a little house keeping. Dogs are naturally very clean animals and will look at eating their poop as a way of cleaning up after themselves.

Another reason a dog may partake in the “poop ala carte” can be because they are not getting enough nutrients from their diet. This can be from not being fed often enough or from poor quality food that is not supplying your dog with the proper amounts of nutrients needed. Instinctively, your dog decides that it didn’t get what it needed the first time it ate it, so why not go for round two. Yes, I know! Disgusting!

The third reason your dog might “hoover it’s own manure” is because of simply being bored out of its mind. A bored dog is a dangerous dog, a ticking time bomb just looking for something to do like… well… eating poo!

So how do you go about changing this behavior when you dog is eating poop?

Limit your dogs exposure to situations where the dog can eat poop. Clean up his play area and den area regularly and there will no loner be the allure of poop in the air to tempt your dog to cheat on its diet.

Do you have any other questions about your dogs behavior? Send your questions to:  scott.weller@shaw.ca

The Tao of Jax – Misty

I’ll never forget that sight! Fresh blood flowing from her mouth and from her under her tail. The last time I saw her, even though she had visibly slowed down, Dusty was still so full of life. “DAMN!” I thought, “she seems so empty – so hollow!”

I got the call just after I finished a long day of work. My dad was clearly weeping on the other end of the phone as he told me, “Misty died today. She’s still laying in my bathroom!” I knew my Dad shouldn’t attempt to deal with this on his own. I called my sister, told her I was coming to get her and we were going over to Dad’s place to deal with the “clean up” for him.

When we arrived I had Cathy take my Dad into his room and comfort him so that he wouldn’t have to watch me remove the body of his 14 year old sheltie who was more than just a dog. All dog owners out there know this:

A dog is a member of the family!

I don’t know if it was naivety, or just plain ignorance but I didn’t think it was going to be a big deal for me. I was more worried about helping my dad and never really thought about what I was about to walk in to. I swung open the door to the bathroom with a blanket in hand, took one look at the corpse laying in the middle of the room and instantly broke into tears.

I have picked up dead stray cats, foxes and gophers and felt the motionless emptiness of a dead animal. The dead weight that offers no challenge other than the force gravity impresses upon your hands but, to feel the lifelessness of one that you held so dear is an emotional and overwhelming feeling.

I wiped away the tears as I made 3 different attempts to wrap her body with the blanket, which resulted in me carrying her remains to my car which I then drove to the 24 hour animal care center for disposal.

I’ll never forget that night. I have watched as other animals peacefully drift away while being euthanized and it was a sad experience but, to have to remove that dead, furry mass was an entirely different experience.

I was at the dog park recently with my 2 year old boxer, Jax and I thought about Misty and the night she passed on. I thought about how she still had a brain, a heart and blood flowing through her veins. Up until that last moment, that last breath she was, in many ways, no different than Jax is right now while I watch him run and play.

What is that “spark” that offers animated life? The “spark” that decided to leave Misty that night?

Hmmmm….

I spent some time watching Jax filled with that “spark,”  running, jumping and playing…  then I turned inwards and started asking the same question…

What is that “spark” that offers me life?

Thanks to Jax, with a big help from Misty I am on the path to some more of life’s big lessons. Of course, this leads to so many other questions… isn’t it exciting?!?!