Patrick is doing a lot better, thanks.

To clarify… Patrick is our dog. He is a 10-year-old Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier. There he is, on the right…

Joan and I have had Patrick since he was about a year and a half old. Patrick is bright, energetic, people-and-fun-loving, and very smart. All in all, Patrick is the perfect dog… except for this one tiny flaw. 

For all of Patrick’s wonderful qualities, we found out that he is VERY dog aggressive. In other words, when Patrick sees another dog on one of our daily walks and immediately begins to growl, bark, tug vigorously at the leash, and generally act as if he wants to rip the other dog’s lungs out. 

At first it was just an inconvenience. We would apologize to the other dog owner, wrestle Patrick back under control, and move on as quickly as possible. But then there were a couple of incidents where Patrick got loose and grabbed another dog by the throat, scaring the life out of all concerned. 

We hired a couple of different trainers to help us figure out a solution. They were all sensible and well-intentioned, but nothing really seemed to work. (“What I want you to do is – when you see another dog approaching you on the sidewalk – have Patrick sit, give him a treat, and say, ‘Look, Patrick! There’s your friend!’” Yeah. Right.)

That was until we came across Joanne and her company, The Balanced Dog. Long story short, Patrick and Rosie (our other Wheaten Terrier) went off for two weeks of residential training with Joanne at her mountain kennel/home/training facility. After those two weeks, Patrick came back a changed dog. 

Today Patrick walks close by my side on his leash, listens to my continuous affirmations of “Good boy, Patrick! Such a good boy!” and walks right by other dogs without a care in the world. 

No. This is not a plug for The Balanced Dog and Joanne’s training methods. (Though if you are in the Fort Collins, CO area and need some training help, she is the best!) There is actually a larger point here that this cute little story about Patrick is meant to illustrate. 

When Joan and I took Patrick to Joanne, we were concerned about a specific BEHAVIOR. I.e., his dog aggression. But Joanne was wise enough to see that the issue was not Patrick’s behavior, per se. Rather, it was his Weltanschauung.

For you non-German speakers, the word Weltanschauung means “way of seeing the world,” or worldview in more common parlance.

Prior to spending time with Joanne, Patrick saw the world as a very dangerous place, filled with mean, dangerous dogs. And since he was formerly a stud dog for a breeder and therefore LARGE AND IN CHARGE, Patrick assumed the role of “protector of the pack.” Whenever he was out on a walk with us, Patrick felt the need to go out ahead and scare off anyone who might mess with the other members of his pack.

One of the most important parts of altering Patrick’s worldview involved teaching ME how to become the dominant partner on the walk. The idea here is that if Patrick knew he could count on me – his master – to serve the role of “protector of the pack,” he was then free to relax and just enjoy the scenery along the path.

So here is that parallel, humanly relevant observation I promised you several paragraphs ago; how often in our own lives do we focus all our attention on a specific BEHAVIOR (eating less, exercising more, quitting smoking, watching less TV, spending money less frivolously, being calmer, reading the Bible more, etc., etc.) and forget to examine the WORLDVIEW behind that behavior?

I believe from the top of my head down to the soles of my feet that most of the words we say, the actions we take, the relationships we build, the habits we practice, and the people we ARE grow up from the fertile soil of “the way we see the world.”

How do you see the world today? Do you view it – like Patrick – as a dangerous place filled with scoundrels bent on harming you? Do you see it as a place of sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows? Or maybe you see it somewhere between those two polar opposite places. Maybe you see the world as a somewhat dicey place but believe that Someone is with you as you travel the path of life. Someone who loves, guides, and protects you from the dangerous “dogs” you might meet along the way. 

Maybe it is the same Someone Moses was referring to when he told Joshua, “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:8, NRSV). 

If that is the Master you walk with today, you surely experience an even GREATER peace than Patrick has found. 

Abundant blessings;