Dog Training Unplugged
Learn to connect on a deeper level
with a kindred soul - your dog & best friend.
Methodology
We humans must DO better & BE better for our dogs!
Open letter to all dog parents:
Dear human friend,
I have no doubt you LOVE your dog(s) and want what’s best for them….
But the fact is we all do things to them (and around them) that are inconsiderate, unfair, inhumane, unreasonable, hurtful, and at times, outright cruel. When our dog then ‘misbehaves’ (in our opinion), we blame the dog - when really, it was a human action that caused the dog to respond or defend…. so essentially OUR FAULT.
When are we really gonna ‘own it’?
For far too long we have been putting all kinds of labels on our dogs…. ‘Bad’ dog - “Aggressive dog’ -’Stubborn Dog’ - ‘Stupid Dog’….etc.
Our dogs are neither of these things. They are simply MISUNDERSTOOD. We have been expecting too much and have not taken the time to understand what is going on from their perspective.
In the name of training and and just plain ignorance, we humans have tried to:
Change their behavior to suit our needs
Ask too much of them
Put them in situations which they are not equipped to handle
Expose them to inhumane methods and tools
Turn them into PETS (which they are NOT)
Blame them and/or punish them when/if they growl, snarl, show teeth, lunge, bite (dogs only resort to those behaviors if they feel threatened or cornered in some way)
Manipulate their body against their will (ex. push/force their rear end down into a sit, force them to be brushed/groomed, etc.)
Let other people pet them/approach them without their consent
And so much more…..
We owe it to our best friends to DO better and BE better as dog parents.
Vivi Myslik Jorgensen passionately believes it is time we put our dogs FIRST. It’s time for us to accept our RESPONSIBILITY and DUTY to become better dog parents and better trainers/dog professionals.
This is why she has created the Framework below. The good news is that it’s really not our fault that we haven’t measured up. Our EGO always gets in the way/is our worst enemy. As a result, we have lost touch/connection to our true self - our spirit/soul - as well as to those we love….including our dogs.
Our EGO is our worst enemy and we need to learn how to put in on the back-burner!
That EGO we all are victims to, who is so arrogant, superior, and righteous - who loves to blame, criticize, and judge all others - including our dogs has become like an infested decease taking over our minds, and thereby is taking over the world creating poison everywhere it goes.
*Chris Niebauer is a cognitive neuropsychologist and professor at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. He specializes in the differences between the left and right sides of the brain. In his groundbreaking book, ‘No self, no problem’, he shows how findings in neuropsychology suggest that “our sense of self is actually an illusion created by the left side of the brain and it exists in the same way a mirage in the middle of the desert exists; as a thought rather than a thing.”
This incredible thesis has significant and wide-ranging implications in psychology, philosophy, religion, and personal growth. It heavily suggests that our sense of SELF = our EGO is merely a construct of the mind, just like Eastern traditions like Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, and other schools of Eastern thought have been teaching for over 2,500 years.
Note: That voice in your head which completely rules your thoughts and gives you a voice to all your likes and dislikes, judgments, etc - the voice YOU think is YOU is essentially your EGO/sense of self, a construct of the mind. It is not WHO you are!
This is not some ‘mumbo-jumbo’ - there is scientific evidence to prove it!!
And we can learn to control our EGO instead of our external world (other people, our dogs, etc.)
By changing our ways, our behavior
By being better at observing our dogs, without trying to control or manipulate their behavior
By learning to observe our own EGO thoughts and DETACH from those thoughts
These things are achievable when we are still, incorporate meditation, yoga, Tai Chi - or spend solitude time in nature
Source: *Chris Niebauer, PH.D. ‘No self, no problem’. Published 2019.
Learn to connect the disconnect
Most people live life on the surface.
We humans live in a fast moving world with busy schedules and very little time to enjoy (or BE in) the moment.
Technology requires our constant attention and reaction/response. As a result, we miss out on the little things and although we are constantly ‘connected’ to others via cell phones and social media, we have never been more DISCONNECTED from ourselves, each other, or our dogs.
We hardly have time to take a breath and feel our emotions. We require quick ‘FIX it’ solutions to just about everything, we have no patience with one another, especially not in traffic or in the grocery store.
WE live in a world of REACTIVITY - interesting then, that so many of our dogs are labelled ‘reactive’ too.
In this hateful, divided, EGOISTIC, and fragmented world we live in, is it any wonder why many humans prefer the company of their dog or cat to that of other people?
There is a very good reason for this = Your dog (or your cat) is your gateway to your soul!
Dogs are sentient, social beings
Dogs speak directly to your soul, without judgment
Dogs love unconditionally (like your soul)
YOUR SOUL speaks directly to your dog’s soul
YOUR SOUL recognizes its own reflection in your dog’s eyes (as in a human baby’s)
Dogs bring us joy and laughter most of the time
Dogs live in the moment - and we can learn so much from them by simply slowing down, spending time, and just observing them (without constantly wanting to control their behavior)
In those precious moments where you actually spend time with your dog (with no other humans around), your EGO takes a backseat and you can let go and BE WHO YOU ARE = YOUR SOUL.
- Because your soul recognizes a kindred spirit in your dog.
Your dog is your gateway to your soul
This is why Vivi has created The Umbrella Framework below - to help you CONNECT to your own soul and your dog’s soul.
The Umbrella Framework:
Dog Training Unplugged
Vivi Myslik Jorgensen has been developing a framework over the past 5-6 years - to help us humans navigate a new ENRICHED & NUANCED life with our canine companions:
The Umbrella Framework: Dog Training Unplugged
With this framework, Vivi emphasizes the importance of learning to step away from our incessant need to control everything, including our dog, and start from a blank slate - POINT ZERO - where we let go of the rails, UNPLUG dog training and everything we have ever been told about dogs - to help us be able to really SEE our dogs for WHO they are.
Vivi believes we need to UNPLUG in order to learn something new:
BECAUSE our beliefs about dogs and training - stand in the way/blind many people completely, and prevent us (because our EGO rules our thoughts and actions) from thinking differently and seeing WHAT our dogs need MORE than training.
The 4 Guiding Principles (Understand. Unplug. Unleash. Unfold.) form the umbrella of ‘Dog Training Unplugged’, under which your dog’s C.O.M.P.A.S.S. helps you fulfill your dog’s needs and thereby balance his 4 L.E.G.S.® (the ONLY way to resolve behavior issues!) - leading to an enriched & nuanced life for you both.
The Umbrella Framework works as a guide to unravelling a more fulfilled, spiritual, and harmonious life for you and your dog and helps you understand how liberating it is to LET GO of the rails = let go of of the need to control and instead LET BE and adopt a more curious way of engaging with your dog.
The 4 Guiding Principles under the Umbrella Framework is explained below.
Principle 1: Understand
To fully CONNECT with, and HELP, another being (human or animal), you need to first be able to UNDERSTAND their point of view, to listen (without judgment) and SEE them for WHO they are + understand WHY they do what they do. This is what a Licensed or Certified Family Dog Mediator® can help you with.
Principle 2: Unplug
Once you have understanding, you need to be willing to UNPLUG dog training as the first thought that comes to mind, and UNPLUG your EGO to be able to fully understand your dog’s needs and be able to MEET those needs.
Principle 3: Unleash
When you unplug, you are ready to get down to your dog’s level on the ground and really SEE the dog in front of you. You are ready to UNLEASH all your inherent need for control, let go of the rails, and get ready to become WHO your dog needs the MOST. You are ready to begin ‘Dog Life Navigation’.
Principle 4: Unfold
Now you’re ready to UNFOLD a life unplugged where the Canine C.O.M.P.A.S.S. helps you navigate life on a whole new level with your dog and meet + fulfill the 7 essential needs in the COMPASS - which ultimately help prevent, reduce, and resolve behavior issues - and lead to a happier + BETTER life for you both.
Key points of this framework:
UNPLUG your EGO (put aside your own needs) so you are able to connect with your kindred spirit, your dog, your best friend and really SEE your dog for WHO he/she is.
UNPLUG/forget everything you have ever been told about dogs - in order to really see and understand what your dog needs from you and what kind of relationship and meaningful soul connection you are able to have with your dog.
POINT ZERO is where understanding begins - where we put aside our misconceptions, illusions, ignorance, emotions, frustrations, etc. about dog behavior and training.
Vivi is on a quest to wake us all up from our EGO slumber, to CONNECT and HEAR our dog’s voice - perhaps for the first time.
Vivi is the host of The dog Training Unplugged Podcast, the first of its kind, where she speaks the TRUTH and stands up for those who cannot speak for themselves….our best friends, our loyal companions, our dogs.
