Leader of the pack

My new pup ‘Touque’ has been responding to basic training fairly well these first few months in our home.  I have been collecting wisdom about handling dogs from various sources, and find myself picking up ideas on what will work best from different people I talk to.

“Hand feeding helps to bond with your dog” – says once source.

“Never punish a dog if you did not catch him in the moment” says another,

“down-stay”, is the best way to subdue your K-9, or is it ‘WAIT’? Or “OFF”,

When its sleep time should I use “Crate”, “bed”, or “go lie down”

With everybody offering their own advice on how to best train a dog, and often with differing opinions it’s no wonder I’m confused.

In the simple effort to train little Touque to retrieve a thrown ball, I picked up ‘Dogs for Dummies’ at the local bookstore followed by the ‘4-H dog guide’ at the library.  While I was there I grabbed the audio book ‘Be the pack leader’ and a video by some dude on dog psychology.

I quickly became bored with the details on preparing a bed for your puppy, and how to brush Fido as so colorfully presented in the dog owner manuals.  I had however quickly become intrigued with this audio book from a Mexican farm boy who really developed a skill on how to bond and blend with a pack of dogs, and act as their leader.

Cesar Millan also is the host of the DVD I picked up on dog psychology and a man I quickly came to admire for his distinction between man and beast.  Although I cannot reflect all his teachings here, I can highlight that he emphasizes how many problems between people and animals happen when we lose touch with nature, when we forget the natural order of animal interactions, and when we let our nervous energy speak for us.  By keeping a calm and confident force within yourself, the animals around you are put at ease with your sense of control.

Thinking back to how I have handled horses or alpacas in the past, my interaction has always improved when I did not get tense or scared, but rather felt in control through a kind and caring manner.  Millan works with people and dogs to establish the rules for engagement, and enforce a hierarchy of control.  Once the pack understands that there is order and control, relationships prosper not just within dog and owner, but among all those they cross paths with.

It seems to me that many individuals in our society, at work, school, or sports field could benefit from these teachings.  A calm, yet assertive leadership for a kennel or a community or a country would  be beneficial to all those involved.

So after my readings and television viewing, Touque still doesn’t bring me a ball, but she does trust me to lead her on our walks, and provide food and shelter.  I respect her need for a strong pack leader, and hope to always keep a strong bond.

Now go out and make it a great day,

Walk your dog if you have one, Speak with your energy, and always talk in a leadership style.

Blaine

(Zuk B. 2011)

My absence from the blog pages, can be easily attributed to my preoccupation with another typing project. One of the more difficult typing projects of my life, (so far)..

As I slowly and methodically ticked off all the formal courses in my MBA program, the last one should have been a quick rush to the finish line.  After all five months to make up a story on a topic that interests you seems like plenty of time.

Having never written a research project, I quickly became frustrated in phase one. ‘Refine the proposal.’  I’m a creative writer, and tend not to think to hard about what will be going into the next line until I get there.

(  not sure what to put in this line * NOTE to self * get back to this line to complete... )

I have immersed myself in a plethora of business books that  teach efficiencies and motivation, how to advance ones career, and 10 habits that everyone should have.  I kept further refining  the proposed project for my professor, by narrowing the subject matter for a little more each e-mail.
Motivation -->  non-monitory motivation -->  only remote employees…Aah OK that will work
And so I was on a venture to gather all the data  I could gather on how to motivate an employee you never see, and comment on how to do so without financial incentives.

Rather than review the 67 page paper at this time I’ll summarize it simply by stating;  hire good people who love their job, and be a good boss by communicating regularly with whatever technology the employee uses to perform their work.

So why did these last few weeks pain me so? - References!
All these great business books, and journal articles, reference the work of a prior author,  and an author before that, a past research study, or a dead psychologist.  Knowing when to reference the last book you read or the original source became a challenge of enormous proportions.  Along the way I would get side tracked by new research studies, interesting articles and new knowledge that would suck me from the task at hand.  At one point I found myself referencing papers from the 17th century (Lock,J. 1689) but stopped short reaching for the Bible ..”In the Beginning…”(Moses, Gen1:1).

I’m pleased to report that I have completed this paper and completed my formal MBA training.  My reading has expanded to include all those non-business books and dog training manuals. I still find myself getting sidetracked on interesting journal articles, and digging for the root of the information source, but this was probably the intention behind this project.

I believe this exercise in research will build on my ability to gather information, and dig to the truth on a topic.  This in turn will allow me to share with you more of:
“Things that I’ve learned”

Go out and Make it a great day,
Love what you read, and always get to the source of your information.

Blaine