People always say that owners start to resemble their dogs, and whilst I have a couple of wrinkles appearing on my brow, I did not have glowing russet coloured fur all over last time I looked!  However joking aside, I am starting to understand just how my mood impacts Conkers.  For those of you who read the last post, you will know about Conkers sofa surfing antics, and these still go on, however rather than now wondering how long this mad spell of hers will last I am finding that I should be asking the question "What state of mind am I in at the moment?".  I have noticed that when I have been feeling angry with her for not doing as she is told, then I get more of a protest back; usually she starts barking and throws herself with more force onto another chair, if however I tell her calmly but firmly to get down then she will get down and that is the end of the matter.  She will normally trot off and find something else to do.

It is not easy but I am learning to switch off those negative emotions when addressing these issues, as negative emotion feeds the same in others, creating a vicious circle.  I can see that the same happens in human interaction and there is nothing new in this, however what is new to me is just how much we can learn from dogs in this respect.  They have no political ends or differing agendas, they are just programmed to survive in harmony with a pack.

On reflection, this new skill will help me to be much more consciously aware of my moods and their impact on others How great it would be, if I could always show calm leadership in difficult and frustrating situations.  At least now I am getting plenty of practice with the little ginger ninja!