Hello and welcome.
This is a meditation for those moments when being out with your dog feels less than joyful and instead a little tense,
Unpredictable or even overwhelming.
When the leash tightens,
Your body braces and your mind starts racing ahead.
If you're here,
You likely know that feeling and you've probably tried a lot already.
My name is Biggie and my work is shaped both by my own journey with my late dog Charlie who deeply challenged me in such moments and by my professional experience as a dog trainer and coach for Dog Guardians with a focus on sensitive and reactive dogs.
When Charlie came into my life,
I wasn't a dog professional yet,
Walks were hard.
He reacted strongly to dogs,
Other animals,
All kinds of vehicles and I felt tense all the time,
Often overwhelmed and sometimes even angry.
For a long time,
I searched for solutions outside of myself,
Management,
Training,
Behavior modification,
But nothing really helped.
What eventually began to shift things and what I've seen again and again in my work with clients is that change doesn't come from doing more,
But from beginning to notice what's happening within us and that's what I'd like to invite you to explore with me today.
We'll move through the three layers of your experience,
Your body,
Your emotions and your thoughts.
Not to fix anything,
Just to see more clearly,
So let's begin.
Find a comfortable sitting position and if you can,
Let your shoulder soften,
Let your hands rest in your lap or on your thighs and feel yourself supported by the ground or the chair beneath you.
Feel yourself being held.
Now bring your attention to your breath,
No need to change it,
Just observe it.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Out,
In,
Nothing else to do,
Just sitting,
Here,
Breathing.
Now imagine you're out with your dog,
It's a typical walk in one of your usual places and everything is as it always is.
You're holding the leash either in one hand or in both,
Maybe your dog is exploring their world calmly,
Maybe they're already scanning the surroundings,
Slightly anxious or tense.
Bring your attention to your body,
To your hands,
Your arms,
Your shoulders,
To your face,
Your jaw,
Your eyes,
Your forehead.
What do you notice?
Is everything relaxed or is there attention anywhere?
Maybe just a bit of sense of readiness,
A subtle holding or something else.
Just notice.
There's no need to change anything,
Let everything be as it is and just breathe.
In,
In,
And as you breathe,
See if there's maybe one place in your body that feels a little softer.
Let your attention rest there,
Just for a few moments.
Staying with this image,
Being out and about with your dog in a familiar place,
With familiar reactions in both your and your dog's body,
Notice what you feel.
What emotions come up for you?
Maybe there's frustration or anxiety,
Worry,
Or that familiar sense of,
Not again.
Maybe it's a mix of emotions.
Whatever is here,
Let it be here.
You don't have to push it away.
Just allow it,
Just for a moment.
And if it feels safe,
You might ask yourself,
If this feeling could tell me what it needs right now,
What would it say?
There's no need to find an answer in words,
Just listen and notice whatever arises.
Feelings often bring their friends along,
Judgments and beliefs.
Check in with your mind and listen to what your mind is saying at this moment.
Maybe there are expectations,
As in,
This shouldn't be happening,
I should be able to handle this better,
Or my dog needs to change their behavior.
Notice these thoughts as thoughts,
Not as a request to do something,
Just as thoughts.
And if one seems to be particularly insistent,
See if you can soften it a bit from the should,
Shouldn't,
Needs to,
To,
This is just a thought passing through my mind.
It's here now and it will be gone again in a moment.
Just that small shift.
Notice a thought and then let it pass out of your awareness.
Now take a slightly deeper breath and as you exhale,
Imagine creating a little more space around everything you just experienced,
The sensations of your body,
Your emotions and the thoughts in your mind.
They are part of your experience,
But they are not you.
You are the observer of your sensations,
Emotions and thoughts.
Now shift your awareness to your dog,
Either in your mind or if they're nearby,
Let your gaze rest on them lightly.
They are not a problem,
But a living being,
Having their own experience.
Being sensitive,
Overwhelmed maybe,
But always doing the best they can,
Given the circumstances,
Just like you.
There's nothing to fix right now,
Just this moment.
With a little more awareness and maybe a little more space.
And when you're ready,
Return to your breath,
Breathing in.
Feel your body where you are,
The ground beneath you,
Being supported as it is.
Inhale,
And then open your eyes if you had them closed,
Or lift your gaze.
If you'd like to explore this work more deeply,
You're warmly invited to join my course,
When Your Dog Reacts,
Holding space for you both,
Guided coaching practices for dog guardians who have tried everything.
For now,
Just take this with you.
Change doesn't always begin with doing more,
Sometimes it begins with seeing things differently.
Take good care of yourself and your dog,
And maybe I'll see you in the course.
Bye for now.
