Behavior — Thoughts — Mood, for Dogs, its simple

Dogs don’t look at their mess and neither should you. I’m talking about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which has been a mantra in psychology since the mid-1970s. Basically it works like this: You want to change your mood but you don’t know how? The answer is — change your thoughts. Need to change your thoughts but you don’t know how? The answer is — change your behavior. With humans this process can take years but with dogs its as simple as sniffing a butt. For example, sometimes I mindlessly leave food out on my coffee table and then leave for the day. When I get home the food’s gone and whatever packaging or dish-ware associated with it is strewn across the floor. When I admonish my dog and attempt to bring his attention to the mess its like trying to bring two positive ends of a magnet together. He wont look at it, not for a second. And as soon as I move on with my life, so does he, with absolutely zero guilt in his furry conscience. This exact same thing can work for humans too but since our brains are more advanced (sorry dogs) it takes a bit longer. But give it time Cognitive Behavioral Therapy really works! … you can start by petting your dog.