When Being The Alpha Is The Best Thing To Do
The Alpha Brain State
30 Dec 2017
Category:- Dog Behaviour
So this Dominance ‘my dog is trying to be an Alpha’ Theory and approach to dog behaviour is like mud: it sticks. It gets scientifically proven as wrong and gradually all but the average pet owner realises it’s not true.
Then another study comes along and says “well actually it kind of is true – but not I the way we have been believing it.” Not in the simplistic hierarchical dog-eat-dog way at least.
Whether we are a pet owner who presumes it must be true or a dog trainer who wants to learn more about dogs, it does get confusing.
However, and here’s the thing for me and for those following Canine Flow dog training techniques: whether it’s true or not actually doesn’t matter as such. What matters is what we put out into the world as a person.
When a dog is labelled as being an Alpha, or even when you subscribe to the belief that it is possible for a dog to be behaving simply because its ‘being dominant’ you at the same time lose the ability to see the dog as acting because it's feeling fear or an apprehensive emotion. The focus is on Victim vs Perpetrator, and/or inequality rather than love and understanding. An energy of blame, shame and underlying fear can easily be at play.
What I have experienced is that very often a person’s belief in dominance, or inequality in dogs, is also shown in other aspects of their life. The belief in Victimhood sits very well within the human Comfort Zone – the belief in trust and equality often doesn’t.
To reduce or change a belief in canine dominance and hierarchy is often harder because it challenges our beliefs about life in general, and also challenges us to consider our deepest human fear of the wild in a creature. It raises the question ‘do we have the ability to rise above inherent survival instincts, and create our reality and life experiences, rather than be at the mercy of them?’
When we put more energy into feelings of blame, shame and all the usual limiting beliefs, we can easily keep ourselves from shining, stop ourselves from sharing our purpose in the world, and ultimately prevent ourselves from feeling, being and sharing peace with the world.
People who have tried Canine Flow have experienced that their dog’s behaviours changes the more time they spend in peace, compassion and contentment - ironically in what is known as the Alpha brain state!
The Alpha brain state is when you are experiencing Alpha brain waves, the brain waves known to provide and correspond with feelings of peace and well-being.
What is lovely is that when we view the dog as being fearful or apprehensive about something when it acts or behaves, rather than viewing the dog as being a perpetrator, we switch to viewing the animal with compassion. We attempt to love them rather than blame them.
The more we view the animal with compassion, the more we find our hearts opening to them, and our ability to see their behaviours simply as expressions of the Emotional Energies they are feeling.
We can also begin to analyse the energy we are putting into the situation. We begin to question: has our Heart frequency changed in the situation? Are we giving out fear or Love? Are we actually feeling scared, apprehensive or angry? Or, are we feeling and encouraging a state of peace?
When we aim to feel and be in an Alpha frequency state as often as possible, we start to make transformations in our lives, in our dog’s behaviours, and we positively influence the world around us. It’s being in that state that encourages the transformation and the changes.
Canine Flow includes three of the best ways to reach the Alpha state; the use of Spiral Energy Technique, Canine Hypnotherapy and, the ultimate one, Meditation.
My blog on meditating with your dog to transform behaviour highlights many studies showing the impact this can have on the world around you.
Canine Flow practitioners report back that dog owners attending their classes really do find their dogs change when they attend the RelaxDog™ classes they run.
Previously aggressive dogs, make friend with other dogs, dogs in multiple households get on better, and anxiety or fear levels drop. Even some ailments reduce, even though it wasn’t the aim of the class. Dogs love being in Alpha state too, and they love it most when they feel you are also in it.
For many dog owners, reaching Alpha state is simply wonderful for reducing stress - some like to come to classes without their dog because they find it so relaxing! For others it's opened so many doors, allowed them to see what their feelings were contributing to their pet’s behaviours, and even allowed them to view the rest of the world differently.
However far you would like to take a practice of Canine Flow, one thing is for sure, it’s going to take you out of your Comfort Zone at first, but by doing so, the rewards far outweigh the need to hold on to a possibility of blame, or dominant behaviours.
What would you rather create?