Empathy
Empathy is something I’ve been actively working on for some time now daily. Empathy for my family, my dog, and for any one of you who follows my content. It’s one of those things that if I could do well, it would not only help make me a better person, but it would help spread positivity around me, and I believe that’s contagious. Today I want to encourage all of us to empathize with our dogs. One of the things I’ve been asking lately is, “what’s the bullseye worth anyway?” What’s the “bullseye,” you ask? It’s the center of the target you’re asking your dog to hit. If your dog hits it, it’s the thing that could equal the best reward for them.
Paying Attention
So how does empathy come into play here? Well, you’re going to have to watch your dog and see if you can reverse engineer them. Figure out what they love more than anything, and begin associating that with the bullseye you want them to hit. Sounds easy, right? It can be if we only pay attention. Paying attention can be hard, but you don’t have to make it that way.
I recommend setting aside two minutes today just to watch and see what your dog is communicating to you about themselves. Then, if you can pick out something they like, have them do something that you like. For example, sitting by your side, coming when you call them, retrieving something for you, then when they’ve done that, you can use your new-found knowledge of them to make it worthwhile for them. After all, didn’t you get a dog so that the two of you can be happy?
I hope this was helpful; send me a text at (832) 734-5189 if you have any questions or need help with your dog. You can also visit my YouTube Channel for more tips like this or find them right here on my website www.longoriahausdogtraining.com.
Happy Training!
