The Day My Dog Became an NLP Guru

One sunny Saturday morning, I found myself

trying to teach my dog, Charlie, a few

new tricks. He was a Golden Retriever, known

for his goofy antics and an uncanny ability

to ignore me when I called him. That

day, however, I had a brilliant idea: why

not apply some NLP techniques to get him

to listen better?

First, I thought about anchoring. I decided

to use a specific command word paired with

a treat to create a positive association.

I chose “Focus!” as my anchor. Every time

he looked at me when I said it,

I’d reward him with a treat. Simple enough,

right?

As I stood in my backyard, I called

out, “Charlie! Focus!” But instead of looking

at me, he was busy sniffing a blade

of grass, oblivious to my attempts. I

repeated the command, getting increasingly enthusiastic.

“Focus! Treats! Yum!”

Finally, he looked up, perhaps out of

sheer confusion. I rewarded him with a

treat and celebrated like I had just

won an Olympic medal. “Yes! Good boy!”

I thought I was a genius.

Feeling encouraged, I decided to up my

game with some reframing. Instead of treating

him like a dog who just didn’t

get it, I told myself, “Charlie’s just trying

to understand a new language. He’s a

canine philosopher!”

So, I took a step back, sat down

on the grass, and changed my approach.

Instead of barking commands at him, I

decided to join his world. I started

mimicking his behavior, rolling around and playfully

pawing at the ground.

As I wiggled in the grass, Charlie tilted

his head, clearly thinking, “What is my

human doing?”

Suddenly, it hit me! Why not turn

this into a game? I grabbed a frisbee

and started tossing it around. “Charlie! Fetch!”

I shouted, fully expecting him to ignore

me again. But to my surprise, he

bounded after it, tail wagging furiously.

With the energy high, I thought, “Let’s

integrate some of this fun into our

training.” I combined fetch with my original

command. Every time he brought the frisbee

back, I would say, “Focus!” and reward

him. It worked like a charm! He

started to associate the command with the

fun game we were playing.

As we played, I realized I was

on to something. Charlie was now responding

to “Focus!” like a pro. In my

excitement, I decided to share my newfound

wisdom with the neighbors. I called them

over, saying, “You’ve got to see this!”

As I proudly demonstrated, I yelled, “Focus!”

and Charlie dutifully returned with the frisbee.

My neighbor, however, had a slightly different

interpretation of my success. “Wow! Your dog

is a genius! Have you ever thought

of using NLP to train humans?”

At that moment, I burst out laughing.

“If only it were that easy!”

But the truth was, I had learned

a valuable lesson that day. By reframing

my approach and anchoring my commands in

fun, I had transformed our training session

into an engaging game that benefited us

both.

And who knew? Maybe Charlie really was

an NLP guru, teaching me the importance

of connection, playfulness, and adapting to

the audience—canine or otherwise!

So, whether you’re training a dog, managing

a team, or simply trying to get

your cat’s attention, remember that NLP

techniques can transform your approach. Sometimes,

it’s all about finding the fun, connecting

in unexpected ways, and understanding your

“audience.”

Next time you’re facing a challenge, channel

your inner canine philosopher and embrace creativity—

it just might lead you to surprising

results!

P.S Unlock your potential today

contact me to discover how NLP

can elevate your success!