Creating Encouraging Environments

This is a quiz from the book, "Easy to lLove, Difficult to Discipline" by Becky A. Bailey, Ph.D.  I would highly recommend it to everyone that is either raising children, teaching students, treating spouses, treating co-workers or even raising dogs.  :)

Do you tend to encourage or discourage yourself?  The following quiz can help you pinpoint your tendency:

1.  During the course of one day, I tend to focus more on:  (A) My assets and strengths  (B) My liabilities and weaknesses.

2.  Typically, I:  (A) Accept myself as I am  (B) Focus on what is wrong and needs changing (too fat, too thin, too something)

3.  I generally talk to myself in a way that: (A) Builds self-confidence (B) Makes me feel confused or inadequate.

4.  During the day, I tend to think about:  (A) What I currently am doing  (B) What I should be doing

5.  I notice:  (A) My efforts and improvements  (B) That I am not where I think I should be

6.  As life unfolds, I tend to:  (A) Judge events as good or bad  (B) Notice the turn of events without the need to judge

If you answer more A answers than B answers, you are probably good at encouraging yourself.  If you selected more B answers, you may tend to discourage yourself.  If you routinely discourage yourself, you will unconsciously discourage your children (or dogs).  Since change begins with you and then extends to your children (or fur kids), decide today to be kinder and more encouraging toward yourself.

To begin the change process now, say the following affirming statements out loud:

*  I will recognize and honor my own contributions to a better World.
*  I will allow myself to make mistakes and I will forgive myself.
*  I will encourage myself to be successful.
*  I will accept praise other people offer me because I know I am a valuable human being.
*  I will suspend my judgments long enough to allow my love to shine through.

IF YOU CHANGE  HOW YOU TREAT YOURSELF, YOU WILL CHANGE HOW YOU TREAT YOUR CHILDREN (STUDENTS, DOGS, SPOUSE, CO-WORKERS, BOSS, ETC...)

Changing Behavior...

Changing BEHAVIOR requires MOTIVATION.  The MOTIVATION can come from FEAR or through LOVE.  The choice is YOURS!  Motivating with LOVE teaches the dog what TO DO instead of correcting what we don't like.  

Pamela Johnson, Pam's Dog Academy

Dog's, Stress, and LEARNING...

Your interactions with your dog literally shape their brains!

When one relays on fear based discipline, they trigger physical stress responses in a dog that will HENDER the dogs ability to LEARN.  When a dog experiences stress, stress hormones are released.  One chemical released is cortisol.  High levels of cortisol can damage brain cells in the hippocampus, which plays a major role in MEMORY and LEARNING.  If you keep the dogs stress levels low, you can IMPROVE the dogs agility to LEARN.

Pamela Johnson

Why do cat's hiss?

I have read that when cat's hiss they are mimicking snakes.   Cat's imitate snakes because most other animals including dogs are afraid of snakes.  So, when cats hiss they are attempting to scare away another cat, dog, or other enemy.  A cat will actually attempt to take on a snake like appearance.  The cat will flatten out his ears, widen his jaw, and wave his tail back and fourth before he hisses to scare away the enemy.  Sometimes the cat will spit when they hiss, which is similar to that of a snake when they are excreting their venom to paralyze their victim.  This is a cats way to communicate...  What ever you do, do not mimic the cat and hiss back.  Hissing at your cat might scare him (remember he uses this to scare others) and if you scare him, he might become afraid of you and you will not have a good relationship or the relationship you would want with your cat.  So, take the warning and give him space, if he hisses at you.

Just a little fun bit of trivia...

Pamela Johnson

Side Stepping - Clicker Dog Training

Bow from different positions - Clicker Dog Training

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