Lessons from the Dog Pack

The dog with the large black and white head is Oakley the Bernedoodle – the 80-pound furry love of my life.? Every dog is special – this one in particular.? My mom was babysitting him last weekend and apparently they were discussing world affairs.? While I do think he’s smart and understands what I tell him, generally it’s a one-way conversation.? He is living his best dog life.? Every day his dog pack comes to collect him for a two-hour romp and invariably I get some awesome photos, such as this one. And even though he can’t talk, I do think there are leadership lessons he and his pals reinforce for me when I watch them in action.??

?Dog Lesson #1:? Build on the strengths of your team.? Everyone has unique strengths and skills, even dogs.? Oakley loves those orange rubber balls and will chase them anywhere but although he’s got good burst energy, his stamina is lacking.? Sometimes, someone else with the stamina needs to retrieve the ball from the lake.

Dog Lesson #2: Diversity matters and strengthens the pack.? Every dog is different – how they look, how they act, how they sound, what they eat.? All of these differences are irrelevant to Oakley, and he holds a healthy respect for everyone in the pack – big or small, loud or quiet, black, brown or white.? He knows that each dog is important and contributes in his/her own way.?

Dog Lesson #3:? Align around common goals. For dogs, the goal is usually one of four things: 1) find food, 2) retrieve ball, 3) catch squirrel, or 4) protect pack member.? Alignment around these common goals keeps them united and running in the same direction, albeit at different speeds. And when they achieve the goal, everyone likes to be rewarded differently.? For Oakley, there is no greater reward than food of any kind (in fact just last week he polished off an entire Duncan Hines rainbow confetti cake thinking it had been left on the counter just for him!).? But some of the other dogs just want attention, another ball chase, or even a nap.

Dog Lesson #4:? Fun and games together builds trust.? Oakley’s pack has been together for a few years now.? Many of these dogs, especially the smaller ones, wouldn’t be natural choices for Oakley to engage with if he didn’t know them.? But all those mornings of fun romps in the park or the rivers, playing fetch with the ball and sleeping curled up together in the car have created a unique bond between these dogs.? Shared experiences create trust between team or pack members.?? ?

Dog Lesson #5: Someone has to lead the pack – but they’re usually most effective when they’re not the centre of the action.? As you can see from the picture, Oakley secretly (or not so secretly) believes he is the pack leader but his dog walker is the true leader they all follow.? She organizes their days, monitors their activities, course corrects if someone gets in trouble, encourages play, and keeps them all safe.?? Really, Niloo is just supporting her ‘team’, keeping them on track to their goal, managing their relationships with other dogs in the park and planning for the next day’s adventure.

?For all of you dog owners out there, I’m curious to know what your dog is teaching you.? And for those without the joy of a dog in your life, what are you waiting for?? As for me, Oakley continues to teach me life lessons – truly woman’s best friend.