SARASOTA, Fla.
Written by Elisabeth Theiriot
On May 28, 2024 — When Wendy Lyons Sunshine got
her first puppy — abandoned behind a gas station, struggling with
worms and anaemia — she was in over her head. Puppy training guides
failed to help her with the out-of-control bundle of teeth and claws
rescue pup, and in desperation, she turned to her work helping world class child development experts. Could strategies for raising happy,
well-adjusted kids transfer to a puppy? As it turns out, yes, they can!
Parenting wisdom transformed Sunshine’s relationship with her
challenging little one. Soon enough, Sunshine’s view of her puppy shifted from one of
adversity to one of compassion and understanding, helping her bring patience and
therapeutic concepts to meet her dog’s needs.
Full of illustrative cases and thoughtful insights to support dog welfare and inspire your
own pet parenting journey, Sunshine’s new book, Tender Paws, explores parallels
between human and canine research; delves into attachment theory, the effects of
trauma, parenting styles, and sensory issues; and offers strategies that meet the needs
of all dogs — often in unexpectedly simple ways. Far from a standard dog training
manual, Tender Paws reveals why love alone isn’t always enough and how evidence-based parenting practices can help.
Not every day starts with the same thoughts and not very night ends with peace. That is where conscious thought is at play about projecting the day or assuming reasons for events from the day that take away peace of mind and sleep from most people and animals.
Wendy Sunshine has deep understanding of that process that governs our life experience.
We process life by interpreting collected data by sensory we use to experience life and compare it to our database of past experiences.
Wendy connected the process to be identical for the animals that do not speak our languages but understand them with clarity and purpose.
That is the moment she was able to connect with her rescue puppy who became her greatest teacher of life.
Fear drives problem behavior was the first realization she had when observing her dog reactions to new or different situations.
Her care to lower stress and trauma lead her to distancing the fear generating sources from her dog and success followed with gratitude from the dog. You may say that positive reinforcement was established in the relationship right there and then.
Newly discovered power of positive reinforcement can go both ways both ways, and so it did.
Wendy began to see that being a coach and a parent not a cop created beautiful peaceful and trusting relationship at home with her rescued dog. What a joy it is to see kind exchange between them.
With time the trauma that was triggering fear subsided and became curiosity instead all dully due to Wendy establishing feeling safe and understood in her environment.
No difference that takes place in child healing trauma and triggers.
Allowing more freedom to explore and experience build a reference data base for the dog to reach back to for assessment of safety so longer leash, time to roam are very essences for having calm and well-adjusted puppy and adult.
World were dog feel having ability to self-protect in a predictable way in the environment is the key. They should never be or feel prisoners and be restricted from being themselves.
Wendy does not mean by that all goes loose, as she believes in rebalance of structure and nurtures needed by the parent and coach. That is how we raise the children and dogs, in place of them just growing up without parental guidance and love for directions to be happiest and safe in life. Outcome- good for both and everyone around them.
Wendy has good understanding that to achieve that kind of relationship one must be more conscious of self and self-reaction to any event or trauma triggered behavior.
She believes from solid results that being accommodating with understanding of them leads to correct actions for both. The hearts work better together than alone and connecting on heart level with your child and dog leads to symbiotic.
Kind heart creates kind life.
I recommend this book to everyone that has struggled with feeling venerable with open hearted approach. Walking life in kindness is peace no matter what others do. As it is their loss only living in anger and need to control everyone because they have no control over their own emotions.
Beautiful book for every mom and dad of a child or animal they share life with.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Wendy Lyons Sunshine is an award-winning writer and journalist who coauthored The Connected Child: Bring
Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive
Family, a bestseller that has been
translated into multiple languages; and
Raising the Challenging Child: How to
Minimize Meltdowns, Reduce Conflict,
and Increase Cooperation. She blogs
about animal welfare and the human-dog
bond for PsychologyToday.com and has
contributed to The New York Times, Fort
Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Weekly, and many other publications. She has trained
in the L.E.G.S. applied ethology model of Family Dog Mediation and assisted at a local
animal shelter. She and her husband live with a rescue dog on an overgrown acre
where they all enjoy watching wildlife.
To learn more, please visit https://www.wendylsunshine.com/.
Tender Paws: How Science-Based Parenting Can Transform Our Relationship with
Dogs
Publisher: HCI Books
Release Date: May 28, 2024
ISBN-10: 0757324959
ISBN-13: 9780757324956
Trade Paperback, 352 pages
