Lifestyle Support Dog^®

Dogs shopping at outlet stores on Black Friday 08
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The pet dog lifestyle, pet dog training, and pet dogs in society

Pet dog training can be an important part of a first rate human and dog relationship. However, I believe there’s a great deal more. There's untapped human and dog potential that lays beyond pet dog training? Is there some higher purpose of dog training? For some people training is an end in itself. This is a valid and practical reason to train your dog. However, there is probably more we can learn from training ours pets than how to get a good Sit Stay.

Many people consider having a pet dog, a lifestyle choice. I believe choosing a pet dog lifestyle can have far reaching implications. Training is only one aspect of the pet dog experience. A pet dog does not require quite all the responsibility of parenthood, but it does indicate a deeper commitment than buying a new television or even a new car. How much time do people spend with their televisions? I wonder how many people in America have a television lifestyle?

I think of a pet dog lifestyle as one that views the domestic dog as an important part of society as well as a member of the individual family. When lifestyle groups are large enough, such as pet dog owners, they also become important parts of a government’s economic and social systems.

Pet dog lifestyles are made possible by the human pet bond. Pet dog training strengthens this bond between human and dog. By training our pets we gain a greater understanding of nature. This includes the nature of our dogs, human nature and our own individual nature. When we truly understand our dogs, nature, and ourselves we can rise above our harmful primitive animal desires. By properly combining diverse elements of the human/dog experience we can become happier and more caring human beings. We can emerge from our limitation while transcending primitive emotions to a higher nature.

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Over the last ten years the pet dog training industry has been polarizing into two distinct and somewhat adversarial lines of thought. Often when this happens people begin to develop deep seated dislikes for each other. To see this effect all we have to do is look at the history of a philosophy based on love, Christianity. It is only recently that Catholics and Protestants stopped killing each other in Ireland. This is a process that Islam is now going through. It looks to me like pet dog trainers are heading down this same perilous road of divisive polarization.

The divisions caused by polarized convictions in methods and training philosophies are one of the reasons I am beginning to think I do not want to be considered a dog trainer at all. What is the alternative? I believe in 2008 I will officially become a professional Lifestyle Support Dog® instructor.

What is a Lifestyle Support Dog®?

The ideas that lead to the RenChenZa® Lifestyle Support Dog® started in one of Americas most dramatic landscapes. It was after having a dream while camping in Death Valley that I was given the answer to years of searching, my subconscious calls it RenChenZa®. RenChenZa® blends some useful but ultimately harmful traits, such as the human trait for conquest and other forms of aggression into new ultimately good emergent traits. While these traits may not be as useful in the short term, they will provide for long term survival of humanity. It is hoped that RenChenZa® can help people transcend primitive behaviors and emotions to a place of universal acceptance and a higher form of love.

After my RenChenZa dream about a universally peaceful society I realized we need to start with how we live our lives on an individual day to day basis. This comprises our lifestyle. Hence what I call the RenChenZa® Lifestyle Support Dog®. The Lifestyle Support Dog® is a dog that supports our lifestyles. It can support a lifestyle of primitive emotions or, a Lifestyle Support Dog® can help us understand our primitive emotions and guide us toward our higher nature. What leads us one way or another is our Significant Points Of Reference. Often we can realign our Significant Points Of Reference by applying critical thought to the human/dog experience.

Making the world a better place through the human/dog experience is the main purpose of RenChenZa®. People tend to live their live based on different kinds of knowledge. This knowledge is both objective and subjective. As humans we learn both by understanding nature and by understanding ourselves. One purposes of RenChenZa® is to learn about the world and about life.

To become move civilized, people need to learn how to transcend their primitive animal nature. We can begin this journey by leaning about the world and how to live a good life. Both factual knowledge and wisdom are important. RenChenZa® is about gaining knowledge and understanding in both of these areas.

RenChenZa® is committed to helping people develop the wisdom to use knowledge. A big goal of RenChenZa® is to teach individuals how to create a well lived life.

When we really understand dogs we understand life.

Dogs make great models for learning because they fit so well into human societies. In fact dogs are just about everywhere. Dogs are one of the most successful species on Earth. Dog are so successful because of their ability to exploit humans. Dogs have benefited greatly from being the trusted companion of humankind.

Even in countries where dogs are officially not liked, they not only survive but thrive. Dogs have accompanied humans from the dawn of civilizations and into what could be considered, our civilizing age. Because of this close association with humans, dogs can show us the way to continued biological progress.

Dogs can give humanity a great gift by providing insight into who we are and how to emerge into truly civilized creatures. Isn’t one vision of paradise a place where there is no evil? Utopia may be far off, but by understanding the dog we get a glimpse of what’s needed to reach a place of peace and prosperity.

Our dogs are humanities door into the workings of nature. Some people will benefit by watching and pondering its wonders, others want to unlock the door and walk into a world of natural understanding. The human/dog experience is the key that unlocks the door.

By interacting with our dogs we can learn about many systems that affect our own lives. This ranges from the effects of economics to the social systems that drive governments. We can learn about physical health and emotional health. Dogs can teach many humans one of life’s most important lessons, how to be happy.

We are in the process of building a new website is to be a platform for positive change. (the new site is now online) Once we raise he funds for the new website we will need the help of site members and pet professional to explore the many implications of the human/dog experience. The first step of this exploration is to develop a new website and get the critical mass needed to really make a difference. By supporting the ideals of RenChenZa® the Lifestyle Support Dog® practive we can do so much good for the world if we can only reach enough people.

We can begin the process of greater dog acceptance by giving people a way to make pet dogs into good canine citizens and better behaved companions. The first step to ensure a thriving human/dog experience is hazard avoidance. This is comprised of what many would traditionally consider dog training. Dog training is the ideal experience for beginning to understand how humans and dog fit into a complex world. Dog training is an extremely dynamic form of personal human to human and human to dog interaction.

Dog training is so involved and vibrant because it involves the many dimensions of one’s life. Form basic knowledge to deep held beliefs. Dog training is an intellectual and an emotional pursuit.

Dog training is usually thought of as the interaction or relationship between individual people and dogs. I think it goes far beyond the individual relationship. That is one reason I like to think if it as the human - dog experience. Even non dog owners experience dogs in the community. Wherever dogs exist in this world there is a human and dog experience. This is true even if that existence is second hand, such as through media.

While the human and dog relationship is a rich and rewarding experience the human/dog experience is richer still. The human/dog experience affects many parts of society ranging form individual happiness and well being to regional public health issues.

The main purpose of RenChenZa® is to make the world a better place through the human/dog experience. We can start this process by learning and teaching good manners.

Wishing all of you the best in dog training and in life
Andrew Ledford
Adaptive Dog Training