Hello again
Hello dog lovers, and welcome to the Better Way Dogs blog.
It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted on here; I took the one and only blog post down because after some consideration, I did not think it would be helpful to anyone that stumbled upon it. Back then, I was in the process of crossing over from the “balanced” to “force free” style of teaching dogs. It was an awkward time for me for a number of reasons. I had to get really real about what I was doing to others around me, and that sure isn’t an easy process. I think our society gets justice and punishment easily confused. Maybe what I deserved after giving all those unnecessary leash corrections is to know better and do better.
These days I don’t cling so tightly to the “force free” label, though it did help as a label to find information in the direction where I wanted to go. To be honest, I had a lot of shame wrapped up in what I had done, and the post here reminded me of the past that I was trying to run away from. Now it only feels right to be honest about what’s going on in my life. There are so many people who have gone through what I went through, and so many more who will in the future. I get it now - we’re cycle breakers. People who break the cycle are burdened with feeling the pain that was passed down in the hands of those who came before us. We didn’t ask to be here, to be challenged like this. I’m grateful for it now. If I can help others the way other cycle breakers helped me, I have no regrets.
On this blog, I’d love to just share some experiences with people who may be going through some similar changes. Ideally we’re all changing all the time to better adapt to our constantly changing environments. A lot of the dog trainer blogs I find are full of facts and data and links to other scientific articles. This method of blogging is fine, a helpful resource that I’ve relied on heavily, though I sometimes worry that we don’t reach enough people when our approach is so sterile. I think a lot of dog people feel a lot of shame for how they have handled their dogs, and shame never did us any favors in changing the emotions that drive behavior. I want to stay open with you all so you know you’re not alone. You don’t have to be embarrassed here. We are here to keep pushing forward, always learning, always adapting, always looking for a better way than yesterday.
Looking forward to connecting with you all soon.
Woofs & wags,
Chloe Carson, CPDT-KA
