It's a dog, not a bonsai

Visited Borders tonight, and, ... surprise! I find myself in the dogs section. And it struck me that there was something fundamentally wrong with the message that these books convey.

The message is that you will build and form this little canine mind into whatever you desire.

And, if your dog is not exactly the dream dog you build in your mind, well, it's that you aren't doing it right. You should reward more or correct more or dominate more... You need more, and you should get it.

Well, I'm saying authoritatively: You don't need more.

Probably, if you find yourself in the dog training book section, you have a dog doing some things you want LESS of. Most likely you find yourself short on either sufficient funds or humility to locate a human to assist you.

Whether it's that you want to prove to the world that a Neopolitan Mastiff can be a flyball champion or that you want to prove to yourself that you can train a dog without any help, the effect of ego involvement is tremendous. And not beneficial.

When you interact with a dog, or anyone else for that matter, let it be about meeting that dog's or that person's needs. Whatever they are. No matter how insane or extreme those needs are, do your best to give everything you can.

Let me know what comes back to you. I promise you -- good stuff will.