Individual Choices—Opening New Doors of Learning

All too often, we pull our hair out as we continue to do the same thing over and over (“No! Sit! Stay!”), getting the same maddening results. We totally miss the leverage right under our nose—our ability to control the environment for our dog in order to invite new choices.

What happens when I . . . ? I wonder if I could . . . ? How can I . . . ? These are the kinds of inspiring questions behind the choices we make when life hands us a new set of conditions. Our brain probably won’t even bother to ask these questions if we have a precedent to go on. Whatever action we have done the last few times (or thousands of times) in a similar moment will just kick in if we have already learned a habit or impulse that had a desirable consequence. We ask these questions only when something is different or new, or when a previous strategy is no longer working for us.

Before you get your dog to ask the important How can I . . . ? question that can pave the way for new choices in behavior (rather than continuing to just do what has worked for her in the past), you have to ask that question of yourself. You need to change the big picture in order to break your half of the cycle. If she can continue to get what she desires by behaving in a way you find undesirable, she has no reason whatsoever to ask herself how she could do things differently. But if she finds herself in a suddenly different scenario, one in which her old stand-by behavior won’t work anymore, she will become curious and creative about a possible plan B. Think about what your goal is, what you are trying to accomplish, and what role you have to play in setting your dog up for success.

Like so many things in life, making new choices is about instilling a fresh perspective in order to get us out of a rut. Nature has wired both you and your dog so that, when conditions are new, you give life your undivided attention; and you become creative and experimental in your actions. Looked at from a different vantage point, the world is suddenly filled with possibilities.

Understanding how impulses and habits are formed, and how new choices are made, is all about recognizing the role of all four L.E.G.S.® in the process. Patterns of behavior can become very damaging until we know how to break them; so it is in the interest of both you and your dog to have a good relationship. If you’re ever feeling stuck or at your wits’ end with your dog, remember to stop and think about the problem objectively. Analyze the pieces of the puzzle that contribute to the unwanted cycles. When the L.E.G.S.® are aligned in new ways, you may be surprised at how easy it can be to make changes for both of you.