What is L.E.G.S.?
L.E.G.S. is a “Whole-istic” approach of looking at your dog’s behavior, assessing behavior concerns, and finding the right answers to help you and your dog live a happier and more balanced life together.
Instead of just training to oppress “bad” or unwanted behaviors and modifying Family Dog Mediator evaluate your dog’s L.E.G.S. We then use this information to help you and your dog build a relationship based on trust and understanding and create solutions that include such things as training, management, and enrichment.
LEARNING: This is a compilation of all the information your dog has experienced and learned and is continuing to learn. Your dog is continuously learning what works, what doesn’t work, what is safe, and what is not. Learning is how dogs figure out how to navigate life and anticipate what might happen in new scenarios. Learning starts at birth and continues for the entirety of your dog’s life.
ENVIRONMENT: This includes everything that your dog encounters. Whether it be inside or outside the home. This can include noises/sounds, smells, activities, touch, the weather, familiar and non-familiar people, other dogs, and animals, etc. “Environment” takes into consideration how the individual and accumulating stimuli your dog encounters affect their comfort, sense of safety, and trust in the immediate and changing world.
GENETICS: This includes everything in your dog’s DNA that makes him a dog, a breed, and an individual. The DNA of our dogs has been changed and adapted due to artificial selection by humans for thousands of years and includes the instructions for instinctual behaviors such as herding, pointing, retrieving, guarding, etc. When looking at “Genetics” both your dog breed/breed type as well as individual family tree matters.
SELF is everything that makes your dog the unique individual that they are. It is a fluid and changing state including your dog’s gender including neutered/spayed or in tack, age, and health (illnesses, injuries, disabilities, gut health, allergies, and other physical/medical concerns. Even your dog’s status matters, are they too hot or cold, tired, under stress, feeling threatened, hungry, etc.
YOUR DOG IS THE SUM OF ALL THESE INTEGRAL PARTS
Family Mediation is the “New Age” of the ever-progressing and evolving world of living with and teaching dogs. It encompasses the whole dog and considers WHY your dog is behaving the way they are. By understanding the causes we can better address your dog’s behavior concerns, or better yet, prevent concerning behavior. If you are having concerns with your dog’s behavior, whether it be fear, anxiety, manners related, aggressive behavior, are you are struggling with puppy issues, I can help. Contact me today.
Linda Brodzik CFDM CSAT
Certified Family Dog Mediator