Your pull / by Alexander Lyadov

Dog people know that two mature male dogs will fight sooner or later, even if they have been friends since childhood. And if it’s the first time they’ve met, you have to keep your eyes open. You can’t be careless unless you want to break up a fight, with the risk of losing your fingers and then having to work holes in his skin for a couple of weeks. You can’t eradicate the urge to wrestle with an outsider, but you can teach your dog to control and override his impulse. For example, to create laboratory conditions, when the instructor brings his dog and practice different exercises in the beginning at a safe distance, and then bring them closer and closer.

It is curious to observe when my dog is interested in his opponent and when he doesn’t care about him. If his attention drifts freely, then as his distance decreases, my dog kind of accidentally bumps into his vis-a-vis with his shoulder. Consequently, I have to make an extra effort to be able to spot and dull the spark of the scuffle. On the contrary, I can practically relax if I am holding his favorite toy in my hand. At this point, all of the dog’s attention is focused on me. Similarly, after the command “Look for it!” he forgets everything, because, according to neurophysiology, the search for an adored toy is even a greater release of dopamine than playing with it directly. When my dog makes a complicated path while searching for a toy, he sometimes walks right up to the other dog, which makes me feel uncomfortable. But there’s no cause for excitement - he’s completely absorbed in asking, “Where have those baddies hidden the toy now?”

You could say that the animal feels two pulls with the opposite sign (as perceived by man). Presented to itself, the negative pull or craving manifests itself violently with a bunch of unpleasant consequences. Fixing them, as well as fighting the craving is expensive, pointless, and difficult. It is more productive to create conditions for positive craving, which do not leave resources for outrage and debauchery. This is true of each of us, as well as those around us-employees, investors, and business partners. At any moment, a person is ready to succumb to his or her particular craving. For better or for worse? It’s up to you to decide.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander


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