Bark less; wag more

I used to have a Goldendoodle named Ragan. Sadly, my life at the time was not conducive to providing a quality home, so I found a better home where he could thrive. Dog’s can teach you a lot about leadership, loyalty, respect, and obedience. I came across a blog titled, “Leadership Qualities Dogs Respect.” It lined out three simple qualities that dog’s respect and in return will change their behavior:

1. Consistency: communication between different species is not an easy task, especially when one species can talk and the other can’t! Inconsistency makes that task all the more difficult. By adopting consistent behaviors in yourself, setting consistent boundaries and keeping some sort of consistent routine – your dog will have an easier job of figuring out what you expect.

2. Lead by example: dogs tend to mimic our actions. Don’t rely on them interpreting our intentions correctly. If we yell at our dog for being aggressive, this can lead to more aggression from our dog. They don’t necessarily understand that we are angry and upset with their actions, they just follow our lead. When we learn calm approaches to dealing with this sort of problem, our lead is followed with calmness in return.

3. Reward good behavior: behavior that is effectively rewarded tends to increase or continue. Therefore it makes sense to reward the behavior we want to see in our dogs. In the same way we get paid to work, our dogs expect to be paid too. Life in the pack works that way; food, security, shelter, play and social contact are the rewards dogs work for.

The same holds true if you replace the word “dog” with “those you lead.” I’m not degrading followers by comparing them to dogs; I’m merely applying the application. As a leader you must be consistent, you must lead by example, and you must reward positive behavior. By doing so, you will find those you lead wanting to bark less and wag more.  

– leading from a cornfield