Dogs are Opportunists, How To Use Mindfulness to Support Good Opportunisim and Resolve Bad
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| My GSD x Husky Sarah |
Like humans, dogs are opportunists, is this a good thing, or a bad thing?
Article and graphics by Karen Rosenfeld.
Well for Sarah, my
German Shepherd x Siberian Husky, being an opportunist was key to survival in
her first year of life which she spent primarily as a stray. Her wiliness and
great intelligence ensured that she survived! It also made her a handful for
anyone who tried to ‘tame’ her.
Perspective is
everything. How you perceive and choose to support your dog’s opportunistic
tendencies is up to you. By employing mindfulness you can better understand your dog.
Opportunism can be
good and bad in both dogs and humans. We will start with humans that way it
will be easier for you to understand how this will apply to dogs.
MINDFULNESS and POSITIVE OPPORTUNISM
Let’s say I see someone
struggling to understand their dog’s behaviour. This person is walking their
dog - the dog tugs and pulls reacting to vehicles that go by. I see this as an opportunity
to use my skills and knowledge; to take five minutes out, to help this person learn
how to communicate to their dog not to lunge at cars. In so doing I have the irreplaceable opportunity to help a
dog; I help the dog’s
human - which if they ‘get’ what I am teaching them can have a positive and
profound ripple effect on all aspects of their relationship with their dog.
A win-win situation…this
to me, is positive and beneficial opportunism. Mindfulness is a powerful way forward.
NEGATIVE OPPORTUNISM
When one person takes
advantage of another person or non-human animal just because there is a window
of opportunity to do so - for there own gain.
SO HOW DOES A DOG EXHIBIT
POSITIVE OPPORTUNISM
I have seen a lot of
dogs try to be good opportunists.
I have worked with
many clients’ who love their dog very much, but they think that their dog is a
bad dog as the dog exhibits unwanted behaviour. I notice that the dog makes good
eye contract, constantly looking at its people…but the people don’t see. The
dog is trying to be positively opportunistic, but its attempts fail time and
time again, because the humans are not aware and don’t see that their dog is
asking for direction.
After providing
direction to the dog once or twice, the dog quickly understands that it can
look at me for direction and I will provide the coaching and mentoring it is
seeking - the dog is a positive opportunist. It always was it’s just that no
one was paying attention.
Just imagine how
upsetting and frustrating this is for the dog. Yet the dog has never stopped
trying…even though it was often reviled by its humans for being bad!
In the absence of
direction the dog has little choice but to make up its own rules.
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| Sarah asking for permission to pick tomatoes |
A piece of food falls
to the floor the dog moves in and grabs the food. There’s food on the counter -
the dog counter surfs. When the door bell rings the dog is at the door before
you are, you open the door and the dog jumps all over the guests, the dog won’t
stop, won’t calm. This is opportunistic behaviour - but it can be categorized
as negative opportunism…the behaviour is bad for the dog and bad for its humans…but
whose fault is it?
Is it the dog’s
fault? Well many people think so, but
they are wrong. Is the fault actually with the human as no one has communicated
to the dog (in a way that it can understand and respect) that this is not acceptable
behaviour…yes.
Humans create
negative opportunism in their dogs when they fail to understand how to
effectively communicate with their dogs, when they are not fully aware of their
dog’s body language, when they do not provide proper leadership for their dog.
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| I waited until Mom said 'go' |
Sarah is a great
example of how opportunism forms. Sarah is a rescued canine and came with the
baggage left by past humans in her life letting her down. If you have a rescued
dog you inherit whatever issue the dog may have acquired. Rehabilitating and
turning the issue around can be both a challenge and journey.
If you have had your
dog since its puppy-hood, but have had no success curbing ‘bad’ opportunism you
need to examine and correct what you are doing wrong. Remember perspective is
everything. Your dog is trying to tell you, to inform you to show you how to be
a better human being.
ENABLE YOUR DOG’S
POSITIVE OPPORTUNISM
We often get the dog
we need, not the dog we think we want. For example, if you are anxious and
tense by nature - you will make your dog similarly imbalanced. Your dog is
trying to give you a positive opportunity - a gift to grow as a person. You
cannot help your dog, if you do not help yourself first!
Sometimes we have to
adjust our expectations a little and we need to employ mindfulness - no human is perfect, so, please do not ever
expect your dog to be perfect…but also do not leave gaps were negative opportunism
can thrive…by doing so, you set your dog up for failure.
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