I want to identify a tool that I have never heard another dog trainer talk about. This will certainly make some people uncomfortable. It may even turn people away from hiring me, but I will stand firm in my use of this tool because it has changed my life in the best way and has brought joy and clarity to moments that seemed impossible before I started reaching for it.
This has been weighing on me for some time now and after years of yielding to what others have told me to do, I've decided that I'm done trying to fit into the box that makes everyone comfortable. If this blog post turns you away from me training your dog, just know that I was blessed with this skillset and I help people that ask for help with their dogs regardless of what they believe. With that being said, I do not tolerate others being disrespectful to me, my other clients, any dogs, or other people. Those who are blatantly disrespectful will not be served by me or anyone affiliated with my company. I will not yield and fold to conform to what everyone else is doing.
I felt compelled to write this because referring to the Bible is something I do on a daily basis and I know that it's helpful to me and I think it would be foolish to withhold helpful information to people that need it.
I am not just a dog trainer. In fact, first and foremost, I am a child of God. While growing as a dog training professional has been incredibly important to me, it is not my only focus. I have been given a gift that many people do not hold. That gift is a package of patience, steadiness, understanding, and a vibe that allows me to remain in uncomfortable situations and naturally shift them into neutrality so that we can rebuild a positive, harmonious relationship, be it with a dog, or a person. Usually both, together.
Because I've been so hesitant to shine light on scripture during training sessions, there have been moments where I've fallen short and not given the helpful information and encouragement that my clients need because I was afraid that they'd just roll their eyes at me when I gave them words of encouragement from the Bible.
It is my responsibility as a skilled dog trainer to share the information I have with those who do not have it. Training animals is not all fun and easy. It can be difficult, feel impossible, and challenge us in ways we didn't know we could be challenged. If I quote a Bible verse in relation to dog training, I'm doing so with the intention of helping and encouraging. I'm compelled by sheer necessity to spread the good news of the gospel, and this is a means by which I spread that message. If in doing so, someone accuses me of anything other than trying to be helpful, I'd like to remind those people that if you feel convicted by a single Bible verse, He is speaking to you and I hope you'll hear it.
If others will scream at high volumes what they believe on the streets because they have the freedom to do so, then I will speak with confidence when I reference the Word of God - in a training session, at a family dinner, standing in line at the grocery store, in church, and everywhere I go.
If this single blog post is a turn off for you, or you feel convicted in some way, this isn't an attempt to shove anything down anyone's throats. To provide further clarity, my goal in writing this is to let others know that I will no longer hold back when I feel as though a biblical reference will be helpful in any situation.
In many situations where I walk into the home of a family whose dog has been calling all the shots; not allowing guests over because they're acting aggressive, destroying the house making it impossible to safely leave them alone, or not allowing a husband and wife to embrace without trying to bite one or the other, I'm reminded of Genesis 1:26...
"Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.""
A dog is a creature that moves along the ground. To allow these animals to rule over us is not what He intended. When I say this and I'm confronted with a combative answer that we shouldn't rule over the animals, I politely disagree and remind folks that ruling does not have to involve being loud, cruel, or abusive. You can rule with an iron fist, but that doesn't mean you should.
We are reminded in Colossians 3:12-14...
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
We are called to be compassionate, kind, gentle, patient and to love.
While I'm supporting my claim on not allowing dogs to rule over our lives, this is also intended as a direct message to other dog trainers who are not so compassionate, kind, and patient to the dog owners that seek out their guidance. Getting angry or frustrated with someone who does not know what you know is unfair. They are seeking your guidance. Use the gifts that you've been given and show them what they need to do instead of gossiping to other trainers about how you have the worst clients that don't know how to train a dog. They don't know. That's why they hired you. And if you're reading this and aren't a dog trainer or dog owner, I'm certain that there is something, perhaps more than one thing happening in your life right now that relates directly to the verses I have shared.
Those that hire me to assist in training their dogs always say that there's something different about me. I'm sorry to those who have been in the dark about what is so different because I have previously been warned by other trainers, family members, and close friends not involve the Bible in my profession as it could destroy my business. I hope this shines light on the difference. That "vibe" isn't available to only me. It is a gift from God and I do my best to use it wisely. There is no secret. I work hard. I never stop learning. And I never stop praying that this gift will not be taken from me. But most importantly... when I am faced with adversity - in training dogs, in working with dog owners, and in my personal life, the first tool I always reach for is the Bible.
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