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Yesterday's dance seems to have had an impact. Today, Koda is more relaxed and more relational. His general pace is slowed. He is less invested in doing the things he normally does to keep himself feeling safe. Nice.

BRING IT!

Did a really interesting piece of work with Koda today. I was working with him in a really precise way and he was being really inhibited, I got the idea to feist him up and that's when it happened. He brought it. He came at me FULL ON! He jumped at me, reaching my midsection, and while I was able to step out of the way and redirect him using the leash, I was able to see the REAL Koda, for the first time. And it was beautiful.

He is a formidable dog. A powerful, intense, and beautiful animal. He has my respect.

From here, all things are possible.

You girls better get ready, because Koda is going to bring you on the ride of you life.

Rockin' and Rollin'

Koda takes a stroll...

Programming Koda

So, as we usher in the second week of what promises to be a long process, we know this: this is going to be a long process. I say this because of what it's like to work with Koda. While all dogs, and arguably all people are in there own world, Koda has constructed a complex model of the world around him that is very compelling to him. Even when there is no reason for concern, his attention is on watching for a reason to be concerned. He literally looks around in his environment and notices for what could go wrong.

This is an old strategy that doesn't want to go away. It is how Koda (ineffectively) keeps himself safe.

These strategies are called Meta-Programs and they are installed in a similar way to the ways we install Virus Protection software on our (PC) computers: when there is a problem, we fix it by installing a program that affects the functionality of our entire system and the program we choose is the one that gets us the problem-we-don't-want, not. (NOT DESIGNED TO GET US WHAT WE WANT, JUST TO GET US NOT WHAT WE DON'T WANT.) I'm sure you've had the experience of installing something to "Protect" your system only to find that it renders it almost useless. How we choose to deal with our computers at that point is determined by how we choose strategies to deal with with obstacles in general, your priorities, and your resources. But ultimately if you have a virus and then install anti-virus software, chances are pretty good you're going to have to erase everything and start over. Not fun, not convenient, and not inexpensive.

Meta-Programs, or life-strategies that are chosen in response to difficulties are a lot like this. I'm pretty sure that it's not fun for Koda to spend his waking hours looking for problems. I bet that doesn't feel good at all. But that's what he does. And his commitment to it is powerful because the need it meets is a high priority: the desire to feel safe. (Notice that I didn't say to BE safe> To BE safe is a verifiable scenario with literal criteria. To FEEL safe is an internal experience that isn't determined by data, but by the Filters through which the data is considered. Essentially, if Koda's Filters are set to notice for "NOT SAFE," his ability to experience "SAFE" is severely limited.)

Since this Meta-Program is a primary functioning position for Koda and he's developed it in such a complex and general way (meaning it applies to everything and has been thoroughly verified in his mind) it is, at this stage challenging to bring him to a different operating position without engaging the behaviors associated with this Meta-Program. Translation: Because Koda is prone to look for the scary in everything, it's almost impossible to work or interact with him without scaring him or dealing with him preempting a problem in one of his areas of concern, ( crates, food, contact, possessions, dogs, cats, etc.) which isn't good or bad, it's just not going to move him into working from a different set of Meta-Programs and from a better organized Operating System. So, before we can begin installing these programs, we have to be able to get to the point where we are able to access his Operating System in the way that it is well-formed and functioning well. And that is going to take a little bit with Koda.

Luckily, this is just a way that Koda GOES, and not WHO he IS. Before and beneath that is a dog who can just be. A dog for whom the experience of safety and well-being is just one of a series of assumptions that he operates from.

Rain and Koda doesn't like it.

So, we're in day 6 of our process. Koda is calmer about the constraints placed on him regarding his usual way of doing things, but we're really just getting started. This morning he went to the bathroom in his crate because his distaste for rain prevented him from taking the opportunity we gave him to go to the bathroom outside.

This may seem unrelated to the issues that began our work with him, but it is not. Basic needs and the way they are handled have a profound effect on the way a dog "is." We expect that over the coming weeks these needs and our changes in the way they are taken care of will prove effective in addressing how Koda feels and behaves, in general.

More soon...