Your thoughts can alter your relationship with your pet. You can become a trusted teammate that your pet can depend on. Or you can create a relationship with uncertainties.
My dogs are SO clean. They never have accidents in the house. However a few weeks ago I came home to pee on the floor. When we come home to a watery poop we know they probably could not hold it. But to come home to pee never ever happens (in years). It hadn’t been long since they had been out so it was odd.
Instead of being frustrated, I felt SO bad. My heart hurt because I knew if one of my dogs peed on the floor they had no choice. They mustve been stressed beyond belief needing to go to the bathroom and not being able to get outside. I felt like I failed as a pet parent. I felt like I never wanted my dog to feel like he had no choice but to do something he knows he shouldn’t. I should not have let him get into that position. It was my fault.
Before cleaning up I went over to apologize to him. To kiss him and love on him. Then I cleaned it up.
When your pet makes a mistake, is it actually their fault or yours? Sometimes it will be theirs but often it’s the fault of the guardian.
Did you leave the trash closet open? That’s like leaving your toddlers favorite snack in front of their face and saying, “Don’t touch it”
Did you cat miss the litter box? Does it smell because you forgot to clean it?
As I said yesterday, pet’s want to do the right thing because they live for US. Our approval, our happiness, and they want to be the reason we are happy.
Look at probable causes for a mistake before letting it upset you or stress you out. No one is perfect, although animals are close. And in the whole picture… a mistake is not a big deal at all. (Pic is of my sweet boy who forgave me for MY mistake)
