I always look forward to opening up the mailbox. Sure, email is great – but there’s something magical and mysterious about having physical, tangible items delivered to you from somewhere beyond. The other day was no exception, as I happened to receive the latest issue of Dog Fancy magazine (November 2011). And in the “Natural Dog” section is a feature on Natural Dog Training, including interviews with me and Kevin Behan, along with a couple people who have had some very positive experiences with NDT. (Cliff Abrams and Sang Koh).

The article is entitled “Push Away Stress” – and I think it does a great job of zeroing in on one of the central principles in how we interact with our dogs – that the key to establishing a rock-solid connection with your dog is to recognize that life for your dog, especially in a human world, creates stress. Your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to give your dog ways to relax that tap into their innate mechanisms for releasing stress. By doing so, you are teaching your dog that no matter how the world makes them feel, you are uniquely capable of helping them get through it.

This might all sound a little mumbo-jumbo-y, but I’ve seen it now time and time again, how tapping into your dog’s primal circuitry changes things for the better. My DVD set (and this website, and Kevin’s books, and Lee Charles Kelley’s articles, and…) gives plenty of examples of how once you’re plugged in with your dog you can turn that relationship into enthusiastic “obedience.”

Note that the reason that I put the word “obedience” in quotes is because the concept becomes almost moot. Your dog doesn’t “obey” you – because there’s no need. What happens is that you learn how to communicate with your dog in a language that they understand. So your dog listens, and responds.

Not because they are suddenly blindly obeying you, or because you’ve become the “authority” in their lives – but because they care what you have to say. It makes sense to them. Even more, it FEELS good to act in harmony with your desires. Because now you both want the same thing.

If reading the Dog Fancy article is your introduction to Natural Dog Training, welcome! I’m sure you’re intrigued to know what “pushing” is all about – as the technique was essentially the focus of the article, without any detailed instruction on how to actually do it! As you might expect, I do explain thoroughly how to do it on my DVDs – but I also provide written instruction here on my website on How to Push with Your Dog (and the follow-up – Why to Push with Your Dog).

Thank you to Dog Fancy magazine (and writer Susan Chaney) for an open-minded article about what we do. And thanks, once again, to all of you. It’s your attention, questions, and feedback (yes, keep sending emails with your stories of your success!) that help remind me why I’m doing this in the first place.

If you want to get different results with your dog, then you have to change what you’re doing.  You’ll find this to be true if you want some serious alterations in your dog’s behavior or you’re simply looking to strengthen your emotional bond with your dog – or something in between.  As it turns out, one of the biggest obstacles to doing things differently is learning how to get out of your own way – to keep from sabotaging your own efforts to change.  Gina Lake is an expert in teaching you how to do just that.

One of the great parts of releasing my online course on DailyOM.com (How to Speak So Your Dog Will Listen) was the opportunity to connect with several other course authors on that site.   Gina Lake released her DailyOM course “How to Quiet the Mind” at the exact same time – and it immediately went to #1 on the DailyOM Top Ten list.  It stayed there for weeks.

Quieting Your Mind for a Better Connection with Your Dog

I had the opportunity to chat with Gina several weeks ago, and I wanted to share the recording with you here.  It has some valuable insight about how to get out of your own way.  In particular, we discuss how her strategy of quieting the mind can be an effective tool to help you when you’re working with your dog.  With a quiet mind, you can truly be present with your dog – which enables you to respond effectively to whatever is going on in your world together.

Among the things we discuss in this 40-minute conversation:

• How quieting the mind can help with your dog
• How to be present in order to respond effectively
• The difference between what’s “real” and what you’re creating
• How to keep your communication clear
• How to know the difference between your false self and your true self

Yes, we cover all that in forty minutes!

You can listen to the recording (or download for listening at your leisure) here:
Neil Sattin Interviews Gina Lake

Why wouldn’t you believe your thoughts?

For the answer to that question, you’ll have to listen to the interview.   I can tell you that your thoughts about a situation are wrapped up in your own hopes/fears/dreams – the stories that you tell yourself about your life.  The problem is, this inner dialogue isn’t always accurate!  And instead of helping you, it actually creates a barrier to experiencing what’s actually happening.

It’s my goal to not only coach you with your dog, but also to help you master the Inner Game of Dog Training – overcoming the obstacles to change within you.  To that end, I believe that Gina Lake’s teachings are a great addition to your work with your dog (and your life in general).

In a recent post in the NaturalDogBlog forum, donnieo talks about helping his dog, Jinxsie, deal with her fear of fireworks.  He says:

Overall I’d say Jinxsie did very well. I’d never been able to reach her when she was in the midst of a panic attack so I’m very happy about that. The big thing though was my reaction. Not once did I feel frustrated or scared. I could see that it was just energy coming out.

It’s that exact mindset, a quiet mind, that will help you respond in the best way possible whenever you’re out in the world with your dog.

So listen to the interview, and check out Gina’s online course on DailyOM – How to Quiet the Mind.  Like my course, it’s “pay-what-you-want.”  Also, make sure you head over to Gina Lake’s website, RadicalHappiness.com, for more information about her teachings, and for plenty of free information.  Thank you Gina, for the great conversation and the helpful insight!

And, as always, feel free to head on over to the Natural Dog Blog forum – to discuss this article and join the community of other people who are transforming their relationship with their dogs using Natural Dog Training.