Dog Management One - Your Dog Is Not the Problem — Your SOcietal Ego Is

Dog Management Two - Your Dog Is Not the Problem — Your Societal Ego Is

An Unencumbered Journal on Living With Dogs

Intro -

I want to start by saying this clearly:

This is not advice.

This is not instruction.

This is not a training program.

This is simply how I live with my dog.

I wrote this for the same reason I write everything under Unencumbered—because people keep asking.

They tell me things like:

• “Your dog behaves better than my kids.”

• “How does she listen like that?”

• “Why is she the only dog at the park that isn’t out of control?”

• “How is she always at your side when you ask her to be?”

I don’t correct them.

I don’t brag.

I just explain what I do—because it works for me and my dog.

And if it doesn’t mix with you, that’s fine.

Dogs are individuals.

People are individuals.

Not everything needs to work for everyone.

The Core Reality Most People Avoid

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Most dog training problems aren’t dog problems.

They’re human problems.

Ego.

Expectations.

Judgment.

Entitlement.

Impatience.

We expect dogs to adapt instantly to an unnatural world we barely understand ourselves.

We want obedience without effort.

Connection without time.

Results without responsibility.

And when it doesn’t work, we label the dog.

Dogs Are Not Confused — We Are

Dogs are not dumb.

They are not clueless.

They are not “just reacting.”

Dogs know exactly what they’re doing.

They read posture.

Tone.

Timing.

Energy.

Consistency—or the lack of it.

They know when you’re present.

They know when you’re distracted.

They know when you mean something—and when you don’t.

Most people don’t want to hear that, because it removes the excuse.

Training Starts With Dropping Ego

One of the first things I had to do was drop my ego.

Not dominate it.

Not suppress it.

Just remove it from the equation.

Dogs don’t care about:

• Social expectations

• Training trends

• Online arguments

• What looks “right” to other people

They care about:

• Clarity

• Consistency

• Presence

• Fair boundaries

• Trust

Your dog doesn’t need you to be perfect.

It needs you to be honest.

Why I Don’t Believe in “One Right Way”

I don’t believe in universal dog training systems.

I believe in:

• Paying attention

• Adjusting

• Learning your specific dog

• Adapting yourself

Some dogs are sensitive.

Some are bold.

Some are independent.

Some are clingy.

Pretending they all need the same approach is lazy.

This is why so many systems feel empty—because they demand the dog “figure it out” instead of asking the human to evolve.

Not Everyone Is Ready for a Dog (And That’s Okay)

Another thing people don’t like hearing:

Not everyone is ready for a dog.

Not forever.

Not at this moment.

Time matters.

Energy matters.

Environment matters.

That doesn’t make someone bad.

It makes them honest—if they’re willing to admit it.

Most people can grow into it.

But it requires sacrifice, patience, and responsibility.

And once people truly see that reality, most step up.

This Isn’t Positivity — It’s Reality

Some people hear my philosophy and think it’s negative.

It isn’t.

It’s realistic.

Humans are animals.

Dogs are animals.

Neither benefits from pretending otherwise.

Suppressing natural behavior creates frustration.

Frustration turns into anxiety.

Anxiety turns into problems.

Understanding instincts doesn’t make life harsher—it makes it simpler.

Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS) -

I work from one core principle:

Keep it simple stupid.

Humans complicate everything:

• Out of comfort

• Out of ego

• Out of fear

• Out of control

Dogs don’t need complexity.

They need clarity.

When you remove judgment and expectation, communication becomes natural again.

Closing -

This is not about control.

It’s not about dominance.

It’s not about being “alpha.”

It’s about partnership.

If what I do doesn’t fit you, move on peacefully and find what does.

I’m not responsible for how anyone trains their dog.

I’m responsible for how I live with mine.

And the reason she behaves the way she does…

…is because I show up the same way every day.

Outro -

In the next episode, I’ll talk about connection before commands—

why attention comes from relationship, not force,

and how presence changes everything before you ever say a word.