Why We Should Be More Like Dogs
If we want to live life to its fullest
As originally published in Change Your Mind Change Your Life on Medium.com.
Image: francescoch on iStock
As humans, we tend to hold on to outdated and unhelpful beliefs that we formed, often for good reason, in early childhood. How do you know if this applies to you? The answer is simple — if your life isn’t all you want it to be.
Dogs are subjected to abuse and trauma, just like humans. And yet from what I’ve seen they have an unparalleled ability to heal and find joy in life. My curiosity as to how and why led me to explore this topic.
The Downside to Being Creatures of HabitAs humans, we love to be in control. Our habits and routines provide this for us, to a large extent.
We like knowing the who, how, what, when and why on just about everything. We fear change because it’s unpredictable. This is ironic for two reasons:
Change is the only constant in our life.
If we can predict our future, it will be exactly like our past. And most of us want our future to be better than our past.
So, whilst our habits may give us the control we seek, they often do not give us what we want.
Every habit of action is run by a habit of thought. And a belief is a thought we think over and over again.
Our beliefs inform our feelings. And the law of attraction ensures our life always reflects how we feel.
If we currently are not living the life we want, then to change this means adopting better habits— to love life so much that we want our future to be equal to our present/past.
But humans struggle to let go. We cling to the past, insist on talking about it and repeating detrimental patterns. If only we could be more like dogs…
What Do Dogs Do That We Don’tOver and over again I’m astounded at how quickly dogs can heal from the most horrendous conditions. Within a few months or even mere weeks, a dog can regrow its fur, heal gashes, come back from brain damage or paralysis, and so much more. Just take a look at some of these posts (I am in no way affiliated with them, but love their work).
So how can they seem to do what so many humans deem impossible?
In a nutshell, they don’t live in the past. Let’s dive in…
Humans have episodic memory. Episodic memory involves the ability to learn, store, and retrieve information about unique personal experiences that occur in daily life. This is how we remember, for example, where we parked our car or left our keys.
One study showed that episodic memory is very limited in animals. Dogs in particular were shown to have a good memory of about two minutes.
This is why they can imitate behaviour and respond to training, but also why it’s pointless to try to discipline a dog long after unwanted behaviour occurs, like when you get home and the dog has torn up your sofa.
In other words, unlike us humans, dogs let shit go very quickly!
The National Geographic conducted an investigation of animals’ short-term memory. The results suggested that animals don’t remember specific events, but instead store away useful information about what could help them survive.
This is also referred to as associative memory, meaning they remember people, places, and experiences based on the association they make with them. And these associations they build can last a lifetime.
For example, a dog will remember that every time you get the leash and put on your shoes, they are going to go outside for a walk — but they don’t necessarily remember previous walks.
Similarly, if you put your dog in a crate to go to the vet and the experience is negative, the dog will not remember the vet the next time you go, but associates the crate with danger and so exhibits negative behaviour.
A recent PetMD article looks at this topic in more detail, noting that by training your dog, you are helping them build their associative memory.
So, how does all this apply to healing after trauma and having a better future?
A dog does not impose its past on its future. It has no expectation that just because it was abused in one environment, it will be abused in another.
Each situation is evaluated anew. A dog reacts based on whether it feels good and safe or not.
A dog is a master of living in the present. A master of allowing good into their life. A master of using their feelings as their compass.
Guilt, shame or pride do not exist for them. They are guided by basic emotions in the same way a young child is before societal norms and expectations are imposed upon them.
If we can see them for who they are, they can remind us of who we are.
Image: Veronica Weedon @ Revival Health GmbH
How To Be More Like DogsI learn from my boy Boris (pictured above) every day.
I understand that everything is energy and that Boris reflects mine back to me all the time, as he is naturally so in tune with his.
When he misbehaves, I know something is off with me.
It’s not the events in our life that matter. It’s the meaning we give to them that messes so much up for us. We don’t see situations for what they are. We see them how we are.
Dogs respond objectively. We respond subjectively.
When we can learn to objectively look at our subjective self, we empower ourselves to consciously choose our thoughts versus staying stuck in disempowering subconscious thought patterns. Meditation can help with this.
Above all, learning to let go. Because the vast majority of what we hold on to doesn’t serve us. If we are not living the life we want, our beliefs are likely outdated and unhelpful.
A dog lets go after two minutes. How long have you been telling stories from your past instead of plans for your future?
Where we place our attention we place our energy. So are we not better served by placing our attention on what we want as opposed to what we don’t want?
Wherever you are on your healing journey, always remember that YOU ARE ENOUGH.
