Table of Contents
Introduction: The Political, which I Promise We Will Quickly Move Past
A Very Simple Example
Social Media Sucks + How Balance Affects Coaching
Life-Balance with Your Dog
STRUCTURE vs. FREEDOM
POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP vs. RESPECT
Specific Balance in Training Skills
Balancing Arousal: FLAT vs. LOSING IT
Drop on Recall: CAN’T DO IT vs. OVER-ANTICIPATING
Tightwire and Freaking Everything
This post is a teaser excerpt from my Patreon. Podcast format is also on Patreon.
"...........NEVER do this. ALWAYS do that.
THIS is what this means. THIS is how this works. THIS is how to fix it.
What is true for one person will be false for another. What is helpful for one person will be the least helpful to another. Behavior and life are nuanced. There are always exceptions, and multiple variables to consider.
(Funnily, this is also why even dog trainers who I think are horrible trainers and horrible people will still sometimes - or even often! - say stuff that I agree with.)
I might say something in a lesson one day that could be interpreted as a broad, all-encompassing statement. And then, the following day with a new client, I might sound like I am contradicting myself. This happens because I am giving instruction, conveying an idea or energy, that is meant to bring that particular client back to balance. And in this example, the theoretical 2 people started on different ends of a spectrum, and both just needed to be brought closer to the center.
Life-Balance with Your Dog
I think I could spend the rest of my life writing about this. But here are some examples.
STRUCTURE vs. FREEDOM
Many dogs, because of the insanity of breeding and domestication, need help coping with life in a human-centered world. That’s where structure comes in. It helps dogs know what to do with themselves: listening and responding to their human, relaxing on a place bed instead of getting into trouble around the house, etc. Structure keeps dogs practiced at things they need to cope with, like confinement, separation, or walking on a short leash.
And yet, a complete lack of freedom is obviously a bad thing. “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” after all. Dogs need to be able to make choices, gather information, move their bodies, and play.
Balance is key, and how to keep that balance is going to look different for every individual......."
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