Since I don’t watch TV I have to get all my television episodes from friends second-hand and verbally instead of visually.
It’s kind of fun actually. You should try it sometime. I think you’ll like it. Especially if you have friends who are animated and entertaining like I have. Who needs TV? Anyway, I digress…
So someone told me about this Dog Whisperer episode where a dog who had lived in the country on 50 acres his whole life moves with his owners to New York. And not just New York but an apartment in Manhattan! And the dog is terrified. Terrified of strollers and taxies and bicycles and (!) fire hydrants.
So the owners can’t even walk their dog to do his business because he wants to go back inside to get away from all the noise and hustle and bustle. So they call in (drum roll) Cesar Millan, AKA The Dog Whisperer.
And Cesar walks the dog and the dog is terrified and Cesar stares and stares at the dog and if you were watching the show (which I wasn’t) you’d probably see his brain going 100 mph in an attempt to figure out: how do I help this dog?
And then Cesar smiles and it goes to commercial break (one of the things I don’t miss about TV). In the next segment you see Cesar walking this dog with a collar and a contraption that lifts the dog’s tail so that it is not tucked between his legs but straight out. And what’s incredible is that the dog is fine. In about 10 minutes he has gone from scared-dog-of-the-city to a normal, well-adjusted dog.
Here’s why:
Aggressive dogs carry their tail up high as a sign of dominance.
Submissive and scared dogs tuck their tail as far between their legs as they can.
Well-adjusted dogs walk with their tails straight out and slightly up.
So with this poor country-turned-city dog’s tail is tucked between his leg it sends a message to his brain which says “Warning-Danger.” And with his tail at an angle that a well-adjusted dog would have it his brain relaxes and he is able to follow his body’s lead: not get scared and contract but expand and actually enjoy his walk. What a concept.
The way he carries his tail affects the neurological pathways and impacts the way the dog experiences the world. And the way you carry your ‘tail’ does too!
Where do you have your ‘tail’ down? Do you walk hunched? If so your brain will follow and contraction will occur. Do you cross your arms a lot? You’ll start to feel defended.
And in your business-where is your business in the tails up / tail down department?
Do you complain about the economy? Tails down.
Are you afraid to raise your rates and so you haven’t in years? Tails down.
Are you doing heavy marketing this week? Tails up.
Are you committed to doing the action it takes now to have more time and money in the near future? Tails up.
Are you beginning the process of hiring pet sitters and dog walkers for your business? Tails up.
Tails up everyone! What can you do this week to keep your tail up?
Let me know…I’d love to hear from you.