Today is the one year anniversary of this blog and to celebrate I decided to write a post of appreciation to all of my furry four-legged friends. I am especially indebted to my dog…as she (among many other beings) has provided me with a huge platform for my growth.

So with that in mind, I’d like to start with a concept that takes the basic differences between the personalities of cats and dogs and applies them to people.

The Difference Between Cats & Dogs: An Analogy of Personality Types

I saw a presentation that really made me smile of cat and dog personalities presented by Michael Grinder. It went something like this…

The difference between a cat and a dog is in accommodation. A cat personality is not very accommodating while a dog personality is very accommodating. So when I feed my dog, she comes in, looks at the food and water, and her inner dialog goes something like this, “Wow, I’ve got food…I’ve got water…this is so great! You must be a GOD!” Dog owners love having dogs because they make them feel great, hence the bumper sticker…I hope to one day become the person my dogs thinks I am.

A cat on the other hand when presented with its food and water has an entirely different perspective of the feeding routine. They come in, sit down and their inner dialog goes something like, “You know, I always have food and I always have water. But something I’ve noticed is that I can fit through that little flappy door and you can’t. Hey, I MUST be a GOD!” Hence cats are not very friendly toward following…they must be enticed to come along.

So when you take this analogy into the world of people it gives you some new insight into behavior. I’ll admit I’ve spent time being both a dog and a cat. I was most cat as a teenager…most dog when I got married and now I oscillate between the two. But what is really interesting is thinking about this theory while actually spending time with your dog…and that brings me around to rapport.

What is Rapport?

Rapport is a term that is used to describe a state of having behaviors in common, or of being “in sync” with another person but I am going to stretch this out a bit and use the term “another being”. Rapport describes the behavior dance that occurs when we are making a connection with another living thing.

In people this manifests in the wording we use, how we hold our bodies, the tonality of our voices, our facial expressions, etc. When people have great rapport you will see a kind of dance occur…they stand or sit the same, they match each others breathing and verbal ways of expression. Their gestures, facial expressions and tones of voice all go back in forth in this unconscious exchange where the lead slowly shifts back and forth between the people experiencing this connection.

Doggy Rapport

But is it possible to have rapport with your dog? After an experiment I performed quite accidentally I say yes…in fact, I now believe that ALL relationship relies on this foundation, animal or otherwise. Let me explain.

We’ve been struggling with our dogs behavior. She is a year old German Shepherd that is very strong and gets very agitated within the presence of certain people and dogs.

As busy as we are, we try to train with her as often as we can. We never understood how at times she seemed to get it, and at others she seemed to forget everything she’s learned.

How do we create the consistency? We wondered. Perhaps it’s her age and attention span…we’ve read a lot to support that. Perhaps we haven’t been consistent enough in our training methods, or she needs more time or motivation. We went round and round…until I finally understood one day when I took her for a walk.

I’m not sure how it happened on this particular walk because it really was the same as any other. I ventured out toward the trail head as I usually did. Somewhere along the trail I started to notice a groove. We had this energy field developing between us.

My dog would float to my side, slightly behind me or slightly in front. I held her leash with only about a 2.5 foot lead so we were very close. This energy field or state of oneness continued until she stopped to sniff something or saw something ahead that she wanted to chase.

Maintaining the State

Then the state would be broken and we would have to start over. So I began to really tune into her, as I would someone I am coaching. I payed close attention to her muscles, her facial expression, the way she held her body and if I saw or felt the slightest change I would very gently use the leash to pull her back into rapport with me.

It happened so naturally and was so subtle that it did not break the state for either of us and soon I could simply make a shushing sound and she would immediately correct herself. The longer we maintained this walking rapport, the less work it was to get her to respond to any command I issued to her. Her consistency was dependent on how long we maintained the state.

When I was in the state with her I could speak commands gently, use hand motions and she would immediately perform them. If I was out of rapport with her, she did not seem to remember her commands.

The Connection Revelation

I began to realize that how much we enjoy her and how easy it is for us to live with her was completely dependent on this shared state. It wasn’t that she is stubborn, hard headed, a teen-aged dog, from a German line or just plain dumb as we had often assumed…it was a simple matter of shared connection.

After spending time with my dog in this way I realize she is a vastly intelligent life form with a very special function in this world…as are all the living creatures of the earth both big and small, simple and complex. It really changed how I view relationship and the role I play in establishing connection with the world around me.

As this blog is all about connection…the lessons I learned from my dog about rapport, seemed appropriate material with which to celebrate its one year anniversary!

Plans for the Coming Year!

As a little segue for all of the spiritual adventurers out there who love stories in which animals play a significant role in a humans development, I am currently working on my book, Animal Magick: An Empathic Journey of Spirit, that is due out in 2008.

This is a true story about wild transformations, a cynical teen’s quest for the perfect pet and a crazy adventure that will make you both laugh and cry, as she unwittingly lands herself a new dad, a move to Alaska and spiritual gifts that will change her life.

All with the help of one very special, furry friend! It’s a tale about coming of age, looking for something more in life and observing the world around you for answers.

So I invite you to join me for another amazing year as I roll out the site changes, audio and books!

Thank you for reading and for sharing your travels with me as we all make this pilgrimage toward spirit, called life. You are unique and special to this world and I value you all!

Love,

PK