Pause With Paws - Activity 2 -Name Dropping :The Art of Dropping the Habit of Naming/Labeling Others

Let's enhance the "Walk like a Dog" exercise by removing labels from people and other dogs we meet during our walks. We might have biases about small or large dogs or certain breeds.Even if we don't engage in conversation with people we encounter while walking our dogs, we sometimes label them based on body language or what we've heard about them. For instance, we might consider them unfriendly if they don't respond to our greeting or smile back. This adds an invisible burden that we carry throughout the rest of the walk. Unlike dogs, we dwell on it for the remainder of the walk or day.

“Transparency is the idea that people’s behavior and demeanor—the way they represent themselves on the outside—provides an authentic and reliable window into the way they feel on the inside.”

―Malcolm Gladwell,Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know

Labeling becomes a more significant issue when that team (dog and human) doesn't get along well with our team. I had the chance to talk to a dog who seemed to dislike a specific dog in their neighborhood. A few other dogs, known to this family, also showed a dislike for that particular dog. When I asked this dog about it, he had a single response: "He is snooty." Incidentally, this was the popular opinion about the human who walked the dog that was unpopular with this group! That's exactly the label they had given him. This made me realize how much our labeling affects them and their response to it. Of course, we wouldn't know who influenced this opinion on whom or if it was just a consensus between that dog and his human. It's a chicken and egg situation. But we have the power to break this cycle. So, as an experiment, what if we tried not labeling humans and other dogs we encounter during walks? Especially the ones we labeled before. We will return to our breathing, or another anchor, when we come across them next time. And we will stay neutral when we meet new dogs and people.

This isn't the only reason why dogs may not get along. I recognize that sometimes our dogs don't get along with our friends' dogs, and the reasons for this can vary. Additionally, the main difference between them and us is that we might dwell on a bad encounter for hours or days, while they simply mark their territory and move on. Moreover, this exercise is primarily for us. It helps us get accustomed to not labeling people we encounter in our daily lives. Once we label them, we unknowingly prevent ourselves from truly understanding them. Let's try this experiment to see if we can offer both them and ourselves a neutral mindset during our walks. Again, we can practice this throughout the walk or just part of it.

Tip : Visualize how you want your walk to go .While I put the leash on our dog , I recite a little intention that I would like to meet friendly faces - dogs and people during my walk today .

Walk like a Dog , without name dropping and let us know how your baggage free walks go! We would love to hear your experience