He just didn't want people up in his face...

My sweet (14 year old) puppy Amos had a rough day at the groomers yesterday.

Apparently he wanted no part of having the hair on his face trimmed. We got notified that his cut wasn’t looking as good as normal as he was biting and being difficult.

I was upset, of course, (mortified actually!) that the groomer had been bitten and that my perfect baby was not in fact being perfect. (see pic here)

But I also thought, well, his boundaries were being violated!

He didn’t want it done, and when barking didn’t work, he turned to more aggressive methods of communication. 

It got me thinking that this can happen to us sometimes as well.

When our boundaries aren’t being honored, we can get a little snippy, too.

For us, though, we CAN voice our boundaries.

But a lot of times, it feels too uncomfortable in the moment to ask for what we need or to say what we will not put up with, and we don’t end up really using our voice.

Then, later on, when the resentment has built up and we are at the end of our tolerance, we may end up snapping and biting at someone with harsh words, an emotional blow up or melt down.

It hurts our relationships and eats away at our inner peace. Likely we feel shame around how we reacted, too.

But the discomfort is too great and we continue to just WISH we were better at navigating boundaries.

My friends, this is EXACTLY what I help my coaching clients with.

I give them the tools to check in with themselves and know what boundaries they need, and how exactly to voice them. In a way that feels really good and loving. 

I walk with them through the discomfort they feel and get them to the other side where they can say what they need with confidence.

And without GUILT!!

If you need help with this, we should chat. You can schedule a FREE consult with me to see how I can help.