provisoire

Donnez à une personne ce dont elle a besoin, et elle voudra du confort.

Offrez-lui du confort, et elle désirera le luxe.

Couvrez-la de luxe, et elle aspirera au raffinement.

Proposez-lui le raffinement, et bientôt elle aura soif d’extravagance.

Comblez tous ses désirs… et elle se sentira malgré tout flouée —

convaincue de n’avoir jamais vraiment obtenu ce qu’elle voulait.

— Ernest Hemingway

Le vrai bonheur ne réside pas dans le fait d’avoir plus.

Il réside dans la sagesse de savoir quand on a assez.

Barbara Lloyd ·otreSsndopmf83014h:7u0 995l40,0336g268tti51lh9l1t0jg53ecf 50 ·

We often come to dog training with goals. We want our dogs to listen better, settle more easily, respond faster, walk calmly, stop barking, stop pulling, stop reacting.

But behind every behavior—yours and theirs—is a nervous system, a relationship, and a deep emotional landscape that matters more than any obedience cue.

If you want your dog to feel safe, supported, and worthy in their own skin…

You need to start feeling that way in yours.

Your Dog Reads You Long Before They Obey You

Your dog doesn’t just respond to your voice or your hand signals. They respond to your energy, your tone, your posture, your breathing—even the unspoken stories you carry.

If you’re feeling anxious, scattered, frustrated, or ashamed, your dog doesn’t think, “Oh, she’s having a tough day.”

They feel it in their body. And they start bracing.

Your nervous system is constantly in silent conversation with theirs. If you want them to trust you, you have to be someone they can trust. That starts with being trustworthy to yourself.

The Mirror Effect

Dogs mirror what we embody.

Not in a mystical sense—but in a biological one.

When you show up regulated, soft, and grounded, your dog’s brain gets the message: it’s safe to settle.

When you treat yourself with compassion, your dog learns that connection is gentle.

When you give yourself grace for your own mistakes, your dog learns that mistakes aren’t dangerous.

The kinder you are to yourself, the kinder your relationship becomes—both ways.

This Isn’t About Being Perfect. It’s About Being Real.

You don’t need to become a flawless trainer or a constantly calm person.

You just need to become someone who is safe to come home to. For your dog. And for yourself.

That means:

• Taking a breath before reacting

• Talking to yourself the way you’d talk to a scared puppy

• Noticing when you’re dysregulated, and gently helping yourself back

• Letting go of shame when things feel hard

Dogs don’t need us to be perfect.

They need us to be present, consistent, & emotionally available.

Why This Changes Everything

When you start feeling safe in your own body, your dog feels that anchor.

When you start treating yourself as worthy, you show up with calm leadership.

When you feel supported—by community, by the environment, by routine—you stop relying on control, and start building connection.

And from connection comes the real change:

• A dog who checks in instead of checking out

• A dog who plays with you, not just around you

• A relationship that feels like a conversation, not a command

You don’t need to “fix” your dog.

You just need to become a version of yourself that feels safe, supported, and worthy.

Because from that place…

You’re not just someone your dog listens to.

You’re someone your dog trusts.