What makes a ‘perfect’ dog owner?
Well, first of all, let’s dismiss that word ‘perfect’ - which I believe is a damaging and pervasive concept we need to delete from our vocabulary! Perfection simply doesn’t exist in any form. We should make our own rules and our own standards in life, rather than striving to achieve the unachievable.
But there are some things that our dogs value in their people, and thinking about how we embody these things can help us to better understand and communicate with them.
I call these the 3 Cs:
1. COMPASSION - Having genuine warmth and care for your dog, trying to put yourself in their position and being kind, gentle and empathetic in your interactions with them.
2. COMPETENCE - Providing for your dog’s needs in a satisfying way - this could be as simple as feeding them daily with nutritious and tasty food, or could be the calm leadership you provide in keeping them safe from real or perceived threats.
3. CONSISTENCY - Dogs love routine and they LOVE predictable people - this means consistent communication and expectations, not changing the rules as you go along.
How do you embody these three things in your relationship with dogs? Or perhaps there’s something I’ve missed - something you think is even more important? I’d love to hear your thoughts 😊🐾
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