So today I set myself a task in writing some blogs for my website. I have been at this for a while now and every time I try, I hit a brick wall. After all, this isn’t my usual habitat out walking with my four-legged friends.
It’s now two in the afternoon and I am home early. Its been a quiet day because its summer holidays and the effects on business due to COVID-19 (but that’s for another blog).
So, I really don’t have an excuse and whist I was pottering about on my return home I thought about the events of the day.
How I was chatting to one of my clients and her mum about this and that and I mentioned it was a tough week this week as it’s the anniversary of my Nana passing away. How I am hormonal and how I have felt really low in a morning, but the dogs cheer me up and chase away the blues.
It was my birthday at the weekend and I had a lovely time yet I’m conscious of my age and how it’s just one of those weeks where everything catches up on you!
And I guess the difficult and unpredictable situation regarding COVID-19 enhances that time just slips away. I won’t be dancing and taking the mick out of myself with my crazy mate to celebrate this year and I kind of miss the odd blow out!
But in all honesty the conversation I had, the how and why of the ‘email listing live’ I watched earlier and the other lovely client and her dog who I saw earlier brought me to this…
And the penny dropped! I can’t blog because I have nothing to say, it’s because I lack confidence, because I don’t want to be laughed at and ridiculed. These are feelings that many people often suffer with, and while I am not alone in this, they also do make you feel isolated at the same time.
And where does that come from? It comes from a long learning history of school and adulthood. I am quiet and I’m awkward – because I’m shy and I think I don’t think I fit in.
And I know people will find that hard to believe but it’s true.
So, it is the reason I struggle to put myself out there!
And it made a connection with me to the dogs I own, care for and train. Our dogs struggle with confidence too. Much like humans, they have their own range of feelings and they showcase that through aggression, barking, and having difficulty in learning new things.
But, guess what? This is okay. Much like it is okay for you or me to have a down day and want to scream at the world, it’s acceptable for our dogs as well.
But, we are in a position to help our dogs. We can be their shoulder to lean on, just as we can be for friends and family. Hold their paw when they need us to show them the way!
We can show them with games that build confidence and training. We can give them choice and help them to learn to trust through the choices we allow them.
We learn similarly. Our past can affect our future and we all need someone to lean on, to trust and feel like we are not alone. Our dogs can also feel this support with care and attention.
Learning the signals that they show and giving them choice to move away from something scary and building up to eventually overcome that obstacle, much like we do in everyday life.
When that happens, their confidence will continue to grow. They will learn new habits and build new associations; the feel-good hormones will be released and this will open up our dogs to a whole new world. In turn, our dogs then give back to us, and help with our confidence, they pick us up on down days by doing something daft or coming for a cuddle, creating a warm cycle of trust, which is created through confidence.
So, I guess all in all I can write a blog.
It may be a very personal blog but I am sure some of this is relatable.
And I guess the events of the day actually made the cogs turn and the penny drop and they helped me overcome my first hurdle. So, I hope you stick with me and show confidence as I begin this new and exciting hurdle in the world of blogging, and I hope you will find these posts both informative, entertaining, and interesting.
Thanks for reading,
Sam
