Determination and Consistency are necessary for a happy, healthy, secure pet (and they help you be well and happy too!)

At The Healing Vet, I like to help people understand that your beloved pets are complex, living, feeling, intelligent beings. If you have a dog, a cat, or any kind of pet, you need to understand how more abstract themes and concepts affect your pets, and how you can use them to uplift your pet’s life. Determination and consistency are what I’m going to inspire you to put into practice this week. Because It’ll make a massive difference for your pets when you do!

The first part – the ‘big D’ is first for a reason. You simply have to be more strong-willed than your beloved pets if you are going to maintain healthy boundaries with them.

Likewise, if you wish to teach your beloved pets how to be good family members – so you can keep them safe (good recall for your dog, able to touch your cat all over, etc), and so you can live happily with them (not destroying everything in sight, being able to go out for walks, etc) – You simply have to show up with strong presence, and be more determined than your pets – especially dogs – so that you can gently, kindly, demand that they do what is best for their well-being.

Then you can build a happy, healthy fur family that your beloved pets will feel safe and happy within.

This is not easy. Your dog is often incredibly strong-willed. And your cat honestly thinks you are their slave! A lot of my clients fold in the face of sad, puppy-dog eyes, or suck up to their cat because they can’t stand being rejected. People often try to bribe their pets into doing what they want, or for their attention, because it’s easier.

When you become more determined than your beloved pets, good things will be right around the corner. You’ll be able to give them a healthy ‘NO’ –  no to extra food that’ll make them fat. And a healthy ‘YES’ to things that your pet might not want, but that are beneficial – yes to learning how to have your nails clipped – and so on.

When you get strong, when you can say a healthy ‘NO’ or ‘YES’ to your pets, then you can move on to determination and consistency.

Now we move onto the ‘Big C’ – being able to stand up to your beloved pets and insist on healthy boundaries, healthy behaviours, being able to say ‘NO’ to things your pets want but that are bad for them, or ‘YES’ to things your pets don’t want but that is good for them is just the beginning. Then you need to be able to do that every time. Aleays healthy boundaries. Always healthy ‘YES’ or ‘NO’. Never folding.

When you have determination and consistency, this means that your beloved pets have a steady, sure, predictable, safe world that serves what they need ahead of what they want. It means that you are a strong, benevolent leader who is kind, yet immovable when it comes to asking your pets to accept what is healthy and necessary for safety and to have a coherent, happy, vital family dynamic.

I apply and practice determination and consistency in everything I do with my beloved pets as much as I possibly can. I teach the same to all of my clients and my students. Sure – the first time you say ‘NO’ to your beloved pets, the look on their face might make you bite your tongue so as not to laugh. And they will try every trick they can think of to make you give them what they want, even when it isn’t the best thing for them. So you need to be ready for that, and to stay strong, with beautiful determination and consistency. You’ll see the benefits shine in your beloved pets over time!

If you’d like to read more blog articles like this, you can click through to our  #1 + #2 + #3 + #4 + #5 + #6 + #7 + #8 editions of How To Help Your Pets with Dr. Ed, The Healing Vet

And here’s where you can click through to watch this week’s video where I talk live about these themes from a bit of a different angle.

And if you want an online or in person consult with me, go to www.thehealingvet.com