832. Learning Family Values from Dogs

Laura De La Cruz

Laura was learning about dogs—especially obedience and agility. A colleague said, “To learn about agility, get a Border Collie.” But when Laura approached a breeder, she was told, “There’s no way I am going to sell you a border collie. You have no idea how to handle this dog!”

Laura De La Cruz, Ph.D., is an author, teacher, dog trainer and herding judge. She started Leash Up Dog Training as an alternative to the “pack” mentality, focusing on people who consider their dogs to be part of the family. Best-selling author of more than 80 books and journals, Laura teaches business and marketing at New Mexico State University. Laura has trained herding dogs and their people for over ten years. She is also a herding judge for American Kennel Club (AKC) and the American Herding Breed Association (AHBA).

The Most Impactful Turning Point?

Learning how to learn from dogs, and how to explain what she learns about our relationships with them, has been life-changing for Laura. She describes her work with highly intelligent Border Collies as more of a partnership than a domination of an animal by a human. Her approach resembles mentoring, inspiring, motivating and even encouraging. It is not at all about terrorizing a fellow creature.

The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?

1. Go out and try something you want to do. Whether it works or doesn’t, it is not a bad thing to fail.

2. Failure tells you it is not the right path, so just say, “Let me find another path.”

3. Look at your life as a road. Even if you are meandering, but have some sort of general purpose, there is nothing wrong with a detour now and then. Some of those detours might be where you find your passions.

4. Don’t delay doing the things that you are passionate about. Don’t overload your bucket list.