Setting boundaries are hard or near impossible when we have emotional illusions tied to them. These illusions are often created from other people’s criticism, comments and opinions. (“You put your dog in a cage” “Spikes on her neck” “Shock her into submission”) . They can also be formed from inaccurate education and knowledge. (“If you punish your dog you destroy your bond”) . Or when we emotionally tie ourselves to dogs in ways that are unhealthy (“My fur baby”) . Sometimes it’s difficult to not see dogs for what they are: dogs. They aren’t capable of highly complex emotions like humans are (albeit they are wicked smart). It still doesn’t change the fact they can not have complex reasoning skills, complex emotions like hatred or spite or determine what’s right or wrong in relation to our human world. So when it comes time and is necessary to set boundaries its difficult and near impossible to do, because those items listed above are forgotten. When human emotions are put onto dogs, this is typically the narrative, “I feel XYZ about this and therefore my dog also feels XYZ about it too” . This is made even worse when dogs fill an emotional void. They serve place as a “child” which leads to an unhealthy bonding, resulting in improper caretaking where behavioral issues ensue. Every healthy relationship has boundaries. Think of any relationship you’ve ever had that didn’t have boundaries. A relationship built off of only love and affection leaves no room for growth. It’s an aspect. But it is not it’s entirety. I encourage you to take a deeper look into why you may feel resistance towards setting boundaries with your dog. If your emotions and feelings are a part of your decision, to the point you’re overlooking your dogs needs, it may be time to have a hard conversation with yourself. ►Get Your Dog Trained - http://www.canineperformancecoach.com ►INSTAGRAM @canine_performance