Always remember, your animal is doing the best it can with what it has been taught.
Your animal is doing the best it can in the environment you have provided.
It’s not your animals fault if they haven’t been taught the way you want to be taught or haven’t been taught at all.
It’s not your animals fault if the environment they are in is causing them stress, anxiety, or fear.
Yes, a lot of them come without knowing much or knowing anything at al’ (baby animals, rescues, etc). When humans assume animals have already been taught, that creates conflict, frustration, confusion, and communication issues.
Sometimes what they are taught is fear and reactivity. When this is not acknowledged, misunderstandings happen, fear and reactivity escalate, and conflict increases.
But one thing I can promise you is every single animal is doing the very best it can do, every single day. There are no exceptions. Animals are too loving and too kind to live any other way. They are avoiders of conflict. They are people pleasers, even the ones you think are mean, stubborn, or combative. They aren’t. They are doing what they have been taught.
Think about how long it takes to learn a new language. That’s what it’s like for an animal when you are trying to teach them how to properly exist in your home, your barn, and in this human centered world.
If you think about it that way, I bet you will give them more time to learn before assuming what they know, or expecting them to know.
Teach them with patience, love, clarity, and most importantly TIME. They want to learn because they don’t want to get scolded. They don’t want to be confused. They don’t want to be afraid. They want to be loved and accepted. They want to be easy for you. They want you to approve of them and be proud of them. And most importantly, they want you to be happy.
If you are having miscommunications with your pet, please schedule a private reading to gain insight, clarity, and help the two of you understand each other better.
