Dogs as Teaches

 

Find a bigger problem!

The other day I went to my beautiful friend’s house.  We got into a fight which was unintended.  He loudly screamed at me with anger, “Get Out!” and I realized my fear of anger.  My fear of anger was so strong that it took two times for him to yell it before I could move.  I actually froze.  When I left I slammed the door.

The next day I was walking my dog.  Some dogs were barking at Seiki behind a fence.  The dogs were barking to tell my dog that this was their territory.  It was very similar to my friend’s angry voice.  As Seiki had a impulse to bark.  I did some training with him to calm him down and remind him that he can be at peace.  As he looked at the dogs and he was quiet, I clicked and treated him.  This allowed him to look at the situation (the barking dogs) and realize that it was no big deal.

This incident was very similar to the situation that I had with my friend.  As the angry dogs were barking, Seiki could bark right back at them asking them to be quiet or whatever he says in the dog world.  I don’t pose to get into the dog’s heads and know everything they are thinking.  He also had a choice to fill the situation with love and peace.

Dogs are not so different than humans.  They have choices just like us.  Do we make a big deal about something or do we learn to save our energy for finding solutions for bigger problems?  Most situations are really just trivialities.   If we choose to fill them with love and light our world is a happier place.

As a dog trainer I realize dogs can learn alternate behaviors just as we can. They are also complete reflections of us.  As I learn to love anger in others and fill the situations with peace Seiki will learn the same.

What have you allowed your dog to teach you today?

Happy Training!

Johanna Teresi, Professional Owner and Trainer of Four Legged Scholars LLC

It’s More Than Just Dog Training

Hmmmm…where do I begin? I am taking a wonderful course called ALC (Accelerated Learning Community).   This course is instructed by Annabeth Christie, Megan Sillito and Mary Tebbs.  Megan and  Annabeth are both life coaches for Life Works.  They teach amazing classes on Tuesday nights called Life Skills.  I am attending Life Skills as well.  I want to begin by sharing with you some amazing information I have learned through these classes from these wonderful people.

Awhile I ago I also began Life Coaching with Marinna Siri.  She and I worked together and we established an amazing relationship that shifted me in my life more than I can even describe in words.  I came to her with the intention of growing my dog training business.  I realized that there is so much more to this than just marketing.

What I learned and I am still learning:

Be present.  The past and the future are totally outside of our control.

Be authentic.  Express how you feel..verbally, through body language, through a dance, etc..  Give yourself full permission to feel what you are feeling.

When you are in a relationship with anyone a client, a lover, a friend take full responsibility.  Blame does no good.  Claiming responsibility without blame allows you to claim your power.  For example: “I am responsible for creating a fun and loving relationship with every single client I have.”  I have control over the way I interact with them and I value this lesson very much.

Keep your commitments, change the commitments that you didn’t really want to make anyways and recommit.  Double check in your body if this is something that you really want to do in the first place.

Commit to joy in your life.  When you move away from joy recommit.

Breath through your belly.  This helps your entire body to shift into a more resourceful state of mind.

Move your body.  Dance.  When you do this you give yourself permission to be creative and to formulate ideas.  A stiff body is much harder to create solutions from.

Know your stories.  It can be beneficial to know the stories that you have in your subconscious mind.  Realize that they are the past and commit to being fully within yourself in the present moment.  You are you and you are not your stories.

Here is a personal experience.  I had a story in my subconscious mind that stated “I fear people are judging me.”  This morning I formulated this story strongly in my head.  Then I became in-tune to every body sensation that I had (stagnant breath, tight belly, pain in my right ear, tension in my shoulders, etc.).  I became aware of what emotions were tied to each of these sensations.  They were anger, sadness and fear.  I fully allowed myself to feel every single one of these emotions.  I exaggerated each one.  As I did this, I allowed the emotions to shift.

Then I went farther and look at when this story was first created which was in kindergarten.  A girl named Lisa came over to me and claimed that this was her kitchen during play time.  I felted judged and that I must be quiet and allow myself to be controlled.  I also asked who in my life did I allow myself to formulate this story from.  The answer was my dad.  I truly know and believe that my dad is very loving. He did have a temper and would criticize me frequently.  

I allowed myself to put these stories in the past and recommitted to  being fully authentic in every relationship I have especially in groups of people (my fear seems greater when I am in groups of people).

As I write more and more and I realize that I write what I am inspired to write. I realize that some people may not understand what this has to do with owning a business or with training your personal dog.  I will keep it this answer simple.  

The more authentic and present we are with ourselves, the more love we can create in any relationship with ourselves, with other people, or with our dogs.  The more love we create in these relationships the closer we become and the easier our relationships become.  As a dog trainer it is important for my clients to understand that training our dogs is small part of a bigger picture.  If we practice the above exercises training is easy.  It is no longer stressful or controlling.

God Bless all of You!

-Johanna Teresi, Professional Dog  Trainer and Owner of Four Legged Scholars LLC