My husband and I adopted a new puppy last year. Oftentimes new puppy owners complain about them tearing up the house and creating havoc. In an effort to better understand dog psychology and have a happy pup, I did some research and spoke with trainers to understand life from his perspective.
What I learned from my research is that dogs in the wild spend hours traveling and searching for food and also playing, so essentially spending large amounts of time exerting energy. However modern day society forces dogs to sit in a house alone for hours all day, expecting them to behave perfectly. And then becoming angry when they make a mistake.
Using the information I learned, we began taking our dog to doggie daycare to play during the days and also purchased a bike and roller blades to exercise him on days he stayed home. We spent time exercising both his body and mind through activities and engagement. Due to our desire to see things from his perspective, we helped him become a happy, well-adjusted dog with almost no accidents in the house and no destruction of our belongings or home.
All this to say that perspective is very important. Understanding where another person is coming from helps people develop compassion rather than anger. We could have easily been angry with our dog for behavior that came naturally to him. Instead we worked with him to provide solutions and outlets for his energy. By doing this we all ended up happy and he made a smooth transition into our family.
Here is an example of perspective taking in your everyday life. Have you ever seen a customer become angry at a waiter in a restaurant? And maybe sat there thinking “Wow, why is that person being so mean and disrespectful?” Perspective taking helps us see that maybe that person was just fired from their job or lost someone close to them. Are they handling their emotions appropriately? Definitely not. But by seeing things from another viewpoint, we can develop compassion for others in our lives and what they may be experiencing.
People who can grasp another’s perspective, are more likely to be empathetic and handle conflicts calmly. They are also likely to be less judgmental, value differences and act in ways that are more cooperative. How can you make this change in your own life?
