Having your C.A.K.E. (Compassion, Awareness, Knowledge, Empathy) and sharing what you learn - with Andrew Hale of Dog Centered Care

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Oct 30, 2024

Andrew Hale, a certified animal behaviorist specializing in dog-centered care, discusses how understanding dogs can help us comprehend our own emotional needs. He delves into the parallels between trauma in humans and animals, emphasizing empathy and secure attachments as vital for emotional safety. The conversation highlights the importance of compassionate approaches to behavioral issues and critiques modern norms that overlook emotional well-being. Hale advocates for nurturing genuine connections, ultimately revealing how our interactions with pets can transform our relationships with ourselves.

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ANECDOTE

Andrew's Breakdown

Andrew Hale had a breakdown in his 30s despite his psychology background.
His breakdown stemmed from unresolved childhood trauma and a drug addiction.

INSIGHT

Understanding vs. Controlling Behavior

Many people confuse understanding behavior with controlling it.
True understanding comes from recognizing behavior as an expression of need and self.

INSIGHT

Two Types of Behavior

There are two types of behavior: the behavior we judge in others and our own behavior.
Behavior is complex and often an expression of need and self.

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How does an understanding of what makes dogs tick, help us to understand ourselves and our place in the world? What does it take to feel safe - as a human, or as a dog (or cat, or horse, or... anything)? And how can we help ourselves and each other find regulation in a VUCA world (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous)?

Andrew Hale is a Certified Animal Behaviourist who specialises in working complex behaviour cases, especially those involving 'Reactivity and Aggression.' Look around you at the world. Look at the news. What two words best describe the nature of our local, national and geo-political processes?

Andrew is one of those remarkable people committed to a Dog Centred Care approach, working with empathy and compassion to understand why any being is behaving in this way. His focus is on dogs, but what we're learning - and the reason I have invited Andrew onto the podcast - is that all the theories of secure or ruptured attachment, of the need for autonomy, agency, confidence and safety, apply in dogs as much as they do in people -or indeed, any sentient being.

This conversation dives deep into trauma (or at least, trauma responses), our capacity for secure attachment in the modern world, our parenting skills, our skills as people who choose to share our lives with other animals - and ultimately, our skills in helping ourselves cope with a culture that's increasingly going off the rails. It's not about to get any better, either. So the more we can find our own stability, the more we can help others. Which is what this episode is all about. Relax, get yourself a cup of tea and let's explore what really makes us tick.

Dog Centered Care https://dogcc.org/
Dog Centered Care TV on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@DogCentredCare/videos
Dog Centered Care Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/dogcc

Candace Pert Molecules of Emotion https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/molecules-of-emotion-why-you-feel-the-way-you-feel-candace-pert/355476
Attachment and Bonding in dogs and people https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4348122/

If you want to share the journey with us, we're here:
Accidental Gods Gatherings https://accidentalgods.life/gatherings-2025/
Accidental Gods Membership https://accidentalgods.life/join-us/