First Habit of a Successful Dog Owner

Take a close look at the behavior of any successful pack leader (dog owner), and you see it mirrored in the behavior of successful people from all walks of life.

The FIRST HABIT of a successful dog owner
is to PROJECT CALM, ALWAYS!

Scientists now know that animals are not in tune just with other animals—they have an uncanny ability to read the energy of the earth as well. We have all heard anecdotes about a dog who predicts earthquakes, a cat who “smells” an impending tornado, or a captive elephant who breaks through his fence and heads for higher ground hours before his human companions learn that a tsunami is headed straight for the village they all inhabit.

One of the most important things to remember is that all the animals around you—especially the ones with whom you share your home—are reading and interpreting your energy whenever they’re in your presence. When you talk to them, you can use any combination of words that pop into your head, but the energy you’re projecting cannot and does not lie. You can scream and shriek till your face is blue when your dog jumps onto your new sofa, but be aware that, in losing your cool, you’re also losing your dog’s respect.

Because dogs often perceive loud vocalizing by excited, overly emotional humans as a sign of instability, your dog will either be frightened by your tantrum or, worse, completely un-affected by it. What he won’t do is respond the way you want him to. Humans respond to unstable leaders; dogs do not. With your dog, you want to project what Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer, calls calm-assertive energy at all times. It means that you are relaxed but always confident that you are in control.

Calm-assertive personalities are the leaders in the animal world. (Think about the way the mother of a litter of newborn pups conducts herself.) And though they are few and far between in the human kingdom, they’re always easy to spot. They’re the ones who are powerful, confident, inspiring, and successful. For example, Oprah Winfrey exudes calm-assertive energy. She is consistently relaxed, curious, and even-tempered, but she is also always undeniably in charge. Her personal magnetism is impossible to deny, and it has made her not only one of the world’s most powerful women but also one of the richest.