Many of my clients call their dog their soul mate or their baby, but the dog tears up the furniture and drags them all over the neighborhood on a walk. The client pleads with the dog to behave, cajoles the dog, and offers her treats with no change in the dog’s behavior.

Why? Dogs are animals, and they respond to calm-assertive leadership—not emotional arguments or negotiations. If you have a dog in your life, it is important to understand how to allow her to live in a balanced way and achieve a healthy state of mind.

Dogs have found themselves in an odd predicament by living with humans. In the wild, dogs don’t need humans to achieve balance. They have a pack leader, work for food, and travel with the pack. But when we bring them into our world, we need to help them achieve balance by fulfilling their needs as nature intended them to be.

How does this work? Through my fulfillment formula: exercise, then discipline, and finally, affection. As the human pack leader, you must set rules, boundaries, and limitations and always project a calm-assertive energy.

When you fulfill your dog on a primal level as nature intended, you will feel in tune with your dog and connect with your dog in a deeper way. Put your dog's needs first, and take responsibility for our dog's state of mind. Only then will you experience all the love your dog has to give!