Dogs live in the world of positive and negative energy. We as their owners, impact them 24/7. When we are happy, they love all over us. When we are sad, they are there by our side. When we are angry, they walk away from us.
As a dog trainer and life coach, I have noticed that the dogs also take on our issues. What do I mean by that? A couple one day, I worked with, whose lab was cautious around people but loved dogs. The owner had taken her to work with him for months as a puppy and noticed that it took her weeks to warm up to his work colleagues. I asked him, how are you with people, he replied, cautious. He had been training his dog through his own issues of trusting people.
Separation Anxiety is very common in dogs. Working with a client whose dog suffered with this, she realized as we kept talking, that she still had an issue with being a child and her parents leaving her. Now her dog was mirroring this issue.
Another lady whose dog would snap in fear if she was feeling trapped. Yes, you guessed it, she herself feels trapped with certain people and situations in her life and she snaps at people when she feels this way.
Remember where you put your negative energy, is where the dog is going to mirror. I had a client, whose dog would pee in her husband’s office, chew on his chair. She could not understand why. After working with her for about an hour, I asked her, how is your relationship with your husband. She replies, I want a divorce. So the dog is being negative with anything her husband has, because she is.
Dogs come into our life to heal us of what we are not willing to heal ourselves of. Quote by Kevin Behan, author of the book, Your Dog Is Your Mirror.
I hear people saying, the dog chose me. I said this, with Pebbles my Pitbull. I was volunteering at the shelter and busy walking dogs. Twice I walked past the kennel where she was and she was sitting so square, just looking at me, every time I went past. It prompted me to take her out and I knew I needed to adopt her. She was 7 months old with bad kennel cough. She joined my pack of 3 dogs and little did I know she was going to mirror my fear of trust with myself and others around me. She was with me for 6 years and suddenly 3 weeks ago, became ill and in 24 hours, had passed away. She is my angel on letting me see how to trust and for this, my life is so richer.
Do you have a dog, who is mirroring you? Release them and yourself by letting go of the issue. We can make more impact on the health and wellbeing of our dog, than we realize.
Heather Szasz has been a dog trainer and life coach for the past 8 years. Originally from England, she has lived in the United States for 22 years. Heather has volunteered for nearly a decade working with animal shelters and teaching in a prison/shelter dog training program where she worked with male prisoners. She is an avid learner and says, “I am constantly learning new positive ways that we can make a difference with our dogs and our relationship with them.”
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