an·thro·po·mor·phize: to ascribe human characteristics to things not human.
Let me state, that I am fully aware that this contradicts almost everything I said in my last post. However, since that last post where I stated that dogs are no longer just dogs, I have come across a new wave of thinking. I say a wave of thinking because like a wave, thoughts gain form, they become an arch, which means that at some point a thought gains depth, and then that thought breaks off, and all you are left with is the memory of that wave-- that thought. Some people decide to ride waves, which offers them a challenge and often leads to experience and the thirst for more, while others fear the depth of a wave and may never experience the high involved in the ride.
Where am I going with this? And what on earth could this possibly have to do with dogs?
I assure you, I am getting to the point.
Like a wave, people take thoughts and either decide to turn them into something, or leave them alone, fearing the success that thought may have turned into.
While I am completely guilty of ascribing human characteristics to my dog, it wasn’t until the idea of anthropomorphizing was introduced to me by Dave the agility coach at Tee Creek Farms that I thought “hey, maybe there is another way of looking at the dog-human relationship outside of what I thought was good for me.”
In reality, giving Stella human characteristics has no real benefit to me. They are not solving her canine-aggression issues, nor are they making her more obedient. It’s not Stella who is hurt and upset when she goes into psycho-dog mode every time we see a dog, it’s me, and it’s not Stella who is upset when she doesn’t bring the ball back, it’s me.
So, if a dog is really just a dog, then how do we make the human-canine relationship grow?
We understand that our relationship with our dog is more important than any relationship our dog shares with anyone else. At the end of the day we own our dog. We pay its bills, we feed it, we buy it what it needs, and we offer it our home. When we agreed to bring the dog into our lives, we should have agreed and understood that it was our job to protect that dog from the outside world, and not the other way around.
I have seen this first hand. Stella feels that it is her job to protect me. This means we cannot swim together anymore, because she associates that as a threat to me. It means we cannot let another dog peacefully walk by us, because she associates that as a threat to me."Don't F#$! with Stella.." is something I have heard one too many times.
What I took from my conversation with Dave is to stop feeling sorry for my dog, and start protecting it. On leash walks play a critical role in my relationship with my dog because it is something we are doing together. Dogs do not need to come greet Stella while she is on leash because she needs to recognize that I am here to protect her, and while she is on that leash, we are not in harms way. She needs to understand that there are rules involved in everything we do. She must now sit and wait for her food until I say she may go eat. And I need to stop feeling like she needs independent time to run free. Off leash runs now involve stick throwing or fetch, because it is building the relationship between us, and when I have said enough is enough, it means, enough is enough. Sure your dog loves going to the dog park, but how is that strengthening your relationship?
Perhaps this sounds a bit military to you, because at first it did to me, too. But if I really look at this idea of "I am the leader, the rule maker, the protector," I realize that I am able to develop the thought into a new way of thinking which will forever change my actions and my relationship with Stella the Dog.
No comments:
Post a Comment