Sit, dog, sit

We have a new puppy. I love this sweet little girl so much. But yesterday I wanted to take her back to the pound! (not really) She is no longer in the sweet, sleepy, cuddly phase of an infant. She's now is the exploring, tasting, barking phase of a toddler. While I'm cleaning up the shredded tissues from the living room floor she is chewing on a light bulb. Yes.. A light bulb. While I'm putting the light bulb away she's growling and barking at some invisible intruder in the dining room.


You see...Our first dog, Pumpkin, was a bad, bad dog. When we adopted Luna I was determined to be a good dog parent and train her properly. I have learned that there is no bad dog, just bad dog parents. As a determined dog mom, I know that the "training" needs to happen constantly. I can't let her get away with bad behavior not even once. Even when I'm completely exhausted I need to correct the bad behavior. It takes a lot of discipline for me too. In an effort to not repeat the negative experiences we had with Pumpkin I am forcing myself to be consistent when it comes to discipline and training.

At one point last night I just sat on the sofa and watched her running around like a crazy lady. Chuckling to myself I thought, "wow! this is like watching my monkey mind!" My mind is just like Luna. It runs around here and there. It chews on things that could cause me harm. It barks at dangers that aren't really there.

If I'm not consistent in disciplining my mind I will end up with the same sort of bad, anxiety filled behavior my poor Pumpkin suffered from. I don't want the same thing for my mind or Luna for that matter.

Therefore, I will be consistent with discipline for Luna and my mind. No matter how exhausted I am I need to keep correcting the undesirable behavior over and over again. This goes for training the mind and changing negative habits. Being consistent with our discipline is the key. When the mind wanders we bring it back, over and over.

When Luna is eating rocks we replace the rocks with her chewy treats. When we engage in negative habits we need to replace it with positive habits, over and over. At first it seemed like she would never learn. Now, it seems she needs a little less correcting each day. At first it seems like my mind will never settle down. Now, it seems it needs a little less redirecting each day.

There are no bad dogs, only undisciplined dog parents. There are also no bad people, only undisciplined people. The beautiful thing is that discipline is not something we're born with. It's something we learn. Everyone has the capacity within themselves to become disciplined. It takes practice. The more we practice the easier it becomes.

A disciplined dog is calm and content. A disciplined mind is also calm and content.

Now, Sit.....and meditate!