I learned of Bevill Dog Behavior when I first moved back to Dallas a couple years ago.
I wasn’t looking for a dog trainer of any sort. You know how social media works… I was following someone who mentioned this guy– Brad Bevill, he looked interesting… I love dogs and then bam… All of a sudden I am following this dude who appears to be a Dog Whisperer.
Fast forward a year and I am out to dinner with a friend of my then boyfriend, who mentions her obsession with her dog and how she’d only trust her trainer… Who… Yep. Happens to be this Bevill guy.
So when I learned that Bevill, who has a one year waiting list, was creating an online course called, “Sit. Stay. Breathe.” for humans, I was intrigued.
The course is a collaboration between Miguel Chen, The Spiritual Director of the Dallas Meditation Center, and Brad Bevill. It’s based around the concept that it is the humans that need the most training, not the dogs.
“Dogs are easy. Dogs tell you exactly how they feel when they feel that way.” – Brad Bevill
When the human is balancing their own health needs— body, mind and heart, it creates an opportunity for a healthy, respectful and loyal bond between dog and human.
“Humans are messed up. We transfer all of our issues onto our dog’s mental health. It’s not your dog’s job to absorb your toxic energy. It’s a stressful role for a dog.” – Brad Bevill
If you know me, you know I am head over heels in love and obsessed with my baby, June. (I just felt Brad Bevill cringe).
We love her so much that sometimes the boundaries between Mom/Dad and June are cloudy.
Prior to this course, June was making quite a few of her own decisions. I did not know how to give her a happy life outside of snuggles, good food, walks and allowing her to make her own decisions.
Oops.
As a Holistic Nutritionist, I fully understand that everything is interwoven but I never really recognized how my behavior was impacting June’s well-being and behavior.
My takeaway from this course? Our health and how we respond to the world, affects our dog’s health. As much as we love our furry babies, at the end of the day, they are still animals and have specific needs that need to be addressed to live a happy, full life.
As a (dog) parent, there needs to be boundaries.
The human needs to be in control. The human needs to be The Provider.
Not the other way around. Oops, again.
I also learned that June needs to be challenged and mentally stimulated.
I thought love was enough.
June and I have been through some tough stuff together over the last 8 years.
To say she is our Emotional Support Animal would be an understatement. She is the smartest, sweetest, most human-like dog I have ever met and we treat her like such. Which evidently, according to Bevill, is part of the problem.
I have always worried about our codependency, but I did not realize all the other issues we were having until I started to take the Bevill course.
For instance, I never truly acknowledged that June’s behavior changes the moment we step outside. She becomes… well, a dog. A defiant one that reminds me of a stubborn 5 year old little girl (because I treat her like one).
June likes to tell us where she wants to walk— pulling, or halting on her harness, barking at other, bigger dogs, or trying to dart after squirrels when we are not expecting it (aka: looking down at our phones).
We love loving June and she loves loving us, but I can also tell she absorbs our energy. When I am nervous to leave her, she is nervous to be left. If we are sad, June is close and concerned. If we’re happy, she is generally excited too.
The course starts with the human.
We have to be centered in order to have a healthy pup.
Integrated into the course are meditations and exercises led by Miguel Chen, The Spiritual Director of the Dallas Meditation Center.
The entire “Sit. Stay. Breathe.” course is fun and quick to get through. I did the full course, leisurely over 3 days, whenever I felt like I needed a 5-10 minute break from work.
Despite being ADHD, I can tell you, I definitely need to retake the course and meditate regularly.
We are already seeing benefits of the course in the household and it’s very clear that it’s the humans… not The June that’s the issue. I’d highly recommend this course to anyone with a dog that cares about giving them the best life ever— whether it’s a pup (especially if it’s a pup), or an older furry pal. Heck. I’d recommend this course to anyone that loves animals.
The course is just $95. If you are anything like me and you love to learn about dog and human behavior and want a happier healthier life for the whole family, then I’d say that’s a steal.
Achieving superior well-being is not something that happens over night. I will definitely be revisiting this course over and over. Wellness takes practice and consistency.
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