When your personality doesn’t align with your dog’s in the ways you might expect, how do you communicate and connect? BPA member, Beth Williams, welcomed her new dog, KZ into her life with open arms and an open heart. But after years of owning earth-type dogs (and being an earth-type herself), adapting to a dog with a fire-type personality was quite a change! KZ’s excitable nature presented many new challenges for Beth and put a lot of initial strain on their relationship. Now, they have the heart and mind connection Beth always dreamed of. How did they do it? Find out in this episode of Enlightened By Dogs, as Kathy speaks to Beth about her incredible path to calming and connecting with her excitable dog. In this episode: How Beth’s dog-centered lifestyle created challenges for KZ Why Beth needed to adjust her expectations for her new puppy Why understanding your and your dog’s personalities can help you connect better Beth’s new perspective on communicating with your dog Read the blog post on this topic. Quotes: “I just had to let go. That's not who he is. That's not what he enjoys. Maybe at some point in his life, he may enjoy it, but he's not now and trying to make him do that wasn't helping our relationship.” “Because he is so big and so young and the reputation that his breed has, there was a sense that I really needed to control him. I just needed to be able to get a handle on him and be able to control him more to keep everybody safe.” “Staying connected was always my reframe versus preventing him from doing something I didn't want him to do.” “The thing it tends to come back to is staying connected.” Want More of Kathy? Brilliant Partners Academy Dancing Hearts Dog Academy Website Facebook Community To read the blog post on this topic and to explore other episodes, click here.