Professional Leaders

I follow @guidedogswa on Twitter and they recently posted this deliciously adorable photo of their new trainees!

Now I am and will always be, a ‘dog person’ so it is not hard for me to immediately fall in love with this delightful duo. However knowing this pair are destined to be leaders, puts them in a class well above my neighbour’s yapping terrier.

So what qualities make these leaders stand out from the rest?

PLAYFUL – Puppies are playful. Like children and indeed the young of most species, puppies are curious and experimental. Exploring the world around them, they are prepared to take risks and push the boundaries with a natural instinct to learn and grow.

COLLABORATORS – Puppies play well with others. Trusting and friendly, with a few alert sniffs, puppies invite you onto their playground. Taking on different roles, sensitive to strengths and weaknesses, puppies learn from and respect the differences of those around them.

COMMUINCATORS – Puppies have acute listening skills, they utilise all their senses and absorb the world around them. They maintain awareness of their environment and nuances of even the smallest changes within it. From a friendly nuzzle to a cautious growl they communicate efficiently and effectively to those close to them.

INTEGRATORS – Puppies are well balanced. Making time to play and rest, they are present in the moment. Puppies are authentic in sharing their unique personality. And finally wiki.answers.com suggests that a puppy leader 

“should be an excellent problem-solver because it is impossible to predict every possible puzzle a dog might encounter in his working life and he must be able to apply what he knows creatively in new situations to make safe and reasonable decisions.”

For more information on how to learn from these unique animals and their trainers go to  http://www.guidedogswa.com.au/

But first tell us how do you measure up to these generous and gifted leaders?