Many pet parents continue to follow the same training routine, spending hours practicing commands and trying the same techniques over and over again. They hope to change their companion animal’s actions and reactions, but fail to address an important component: the energetic dynamics that motivate the behavior. In this article, I explore how to train your pet smarter, not harder.
Sometimes a bark isn’t just a bark. Accidents in the home can indicate that something bigger is going on in your life. Separation anxiety often speaks to broader feelings of guilt.
Dog training is not just about the dog, but also about the pet parent. Therefore, understanding what your pet’s behavior says about you can help you train smarter, not harder.
After working with hundreds of clients over a decade, I developed a deep understanding of the many ways our actions, beliefs, and patterns impact our pets, and created a roadmap to help pet parents achieve lasting change and powerful transformation not only in their pet’s behavior, but also in their own lives.
When training our dogs, it is crucial to combine traditional training with an understanding of how our energy drives our pet’s behavior. Pets respond to our words, physical signals and body language, as well as our energy and mentality. When we effectively translate our pet’s behavior and combine traditional training with the mindset changes in the process, we open lines of communication that create meaningful changes for ourselves and our pets.
Here are mindset changes we can integrate to train our pets smarter, not harder:
1. Go from pet owner to pet protector
Outdated terminology like “pet owner” does not honor the partnership and role our animal friends play in our lives. Terms like “pet protector” or “pet parent” better reflect the direction our view of pets and companion animals is taking. Using more conscious verbiage is just one of the small but important ways to strengthen a more collaborative mindset.
2. Shift from ‘My pet needs to change, not me’ to ‘We are in this together’.
One of the biggest mindset shifts required to learn to translate our pet’s behavior and train smarter, not harder, is to no longer view the dynamic between ourselves and our pet from a place of separation, hierarchy, or dominance. Instead, approach it from a place of connection, collaboration, and shared responsibility. If we ask our pets to change their behavior, we will also have to make changes, always with the understanding that we are in this together.
3. Replace “I’ve tried everything and nothing works” with “I have new tools at my disposal.”
As a responsible pet parent, you’ve probably delved into countless tools and techniques to promote the well-being of your furry friend. Despite your dedication, you have faced a discouraging sense of stagnation. But by taking a mindful approach to pet training, through the integrated lens of mind, body, and energy, you can harness new techniques that bring about changes in your pet’s behavior and, by extension, in your own life. By adopting this fresh perspective, you equip yourself with new tools to create significant change for you and your partner.
4. Change the focus from “I want my pet to stop barking” to “I want an environment where we all feel heard.”
Focus on the outcome you want to replace the behavior with, not just the absence of that behavior. For example, when confronted with a barking dog, it is common to think or say, “I don’t want my dog to bark anymore.” Instead of just instructing him or her to stop, redirect your furry friend and show them what is a better choice at that moment, and reward that behavior. By avoiding non-sequiturs, having a clear vision of how our pet should behave instead, and giving them effective cues on how to get there, we create more intentional and conscious shifts in our pet’s behavior .
5. Adjust the perception from “My pet is stubborn or acting out of spite” to “My pet is trying to show me something bigger.”
Our pets tell us a lot about ourselves. By examining our relationships with our pets, we can better understand our own motivations, beliefs, and attitudes. When our pets do things like have an accident right in front of us or look straight at us while reaching for something they shouldn’t, it can feel like they’re being provoked. But there is always a deeper underlying motivation for this behavior, which often extends beyond the immediate circumstance and resonates in various aspects of our lives.
Mindful introspection allows us to exchange deeply held limiting beliefs for a mindset that paves the way for personal growth. This mindful approach to pet custody allows you to build a deeper bond with your pet while also gaining powerful insight into your life.
By taking the time to understand the energetic and emotional motivation that drives our pet’s behavior, we can identify how that same energetic pattern can manifest more broadly in our friendships, romantic relationships, family life, and careers. Once we understand the motivation, we can change our thinking around it and create new results for ourselves and our furry companions.
Training smarter, not harder, involves more than just repeating commands and hoping for the best. It requires a conscious approach that includes traditional training techniques, understanding the energetic and emotional dynamics at play, and adopting a new mindset that promotes deeper connection and mutual growth. Changing our perspectives and addressing the underlying motivations behind our pets’ behavior will promote a more harmonious and fulfilling relationship with our animal companions.
Author biography
Denise Mange is a certified dog trainer, animal communicator, pet numerologist and founder of Pet Prana®. Her conscious approach to pet training combines traditional training with energetic considerations of pet guardianship. She has been featured in publications and media worldwide, cementing her reputation as a pioneer in mindful pet training. Her new book, Translate your pet’s behavior: Find out what their behavior says about you to train smarter, not harder, is a #1 bestseller in its category on Amazon. More information at www.petprana.com.
