Why does my dog match my energy?

She's young, she's got tonnes of energy, she'd make a great jogging and agility dog, and she seems quite safe with the cat and rabbits. She has her basic commands already and is pretty good though she needs to work on focus. I'm looking for more energy and an agility/jogging partner. She's not perfect obviously but in most ways she is what we wanted. She does pull and she's going to need some work. I'd like to take her jogging as well, but that may have to wait until she has better leash skills because I have no intention of being dragged by a running dog.

When we're concerned or frustrated, they mirror us, and we create the situation that we're trying to avoid. For example, when the puppy is excited and you use a loud voice to try asserting power, the puppy gets more energetic. It picks up on your heightened energy and matches it. Instead, if you remain calm and still, it will eventually settle. Cesar Millan, a famous and fairly controversial dog trainer, uses the term "calm confidence" to refer to this energy. Dog or human, my gut tells me there's a lot to learn when we realize we're all mirrors.

Some puppies are more energetic than others, which can depend on the breed or the puppy’s individual personality. They have boundless energy and curiosity. They spend most of their day playing and learning the foundations of being a dog: chasing, running, pawing, biting and fighting. Puppies at this age may still have a lot of playful energy. You may notice your puppy likes to play-fight with other dogs around this age. At this age, you might see bursts of puppy energy levels and continued boundary testing. The answer is often as simple as making sure they get lots of exercise and activities to tire them out physically and mentally. That could mean games of fetch, enrichment games or long walks. Most importantly, use their energy and natural curiosity to train them and build a foundation for good behavior in the long term.

Dogs are highly perceptive animals that pick up on cues from their environment, and one of the most significant factors influencing their behavior is the energy emitted by the humans around them. Dogs are incredibly attuned to human emotions and energy levels. Their acute senses, including heightened hearing and smelling abilities, enable them to detect subtle changes in our body language, tone of voice, and even our scent. Dogs rely on these cues to understand our emotional states and respond accordingly. The relationship between a human's energy and a dog's behavior is often described as an "energy exchange." This exchange occurs through various non-verbal cues: Body Language, Vocal Tone, Eye Contact, Breathing Patterns, and Touch. The energy we emit as humans profoundly influences a dog's behavior and emotional state. Recognizing the energy exchange between us and our dogs is essential for fostering a harmonious relationship.

Dogs read body language. They literally read the energy of the room, of people, of other animals, then reflect that energy back. When you’re at work, late for a deadline, and you keep getting interrupted, and then your child’s school calls and your son needs to get picked up early, and you still needed to get groceries for dinner tonight, and you forgot to make the mortgage payment, and, and, and….. your energy is tense and hectic and anxious. You’re thinking in the future and you’re all over the place feeling like you have no time. Versus, when you’re on vacation, and you are sitting on a white sand beach, with crystal-blue water, and you’re just listening to the waves, feeling the breeze, and not thinking about-a-thing? You are living in the moment, filled with joy. Your energy is serene and calm, peaceful and happy. We are constantly giving off energy as long as we are alive. And as long as we have dogs in our lives, those dogs are acting as a big-ole reflection for us. In other words, if you are always late and stressed and anxious and chaotic, your dog will show those symptoms. If you are calm, take time to be present with your family, get out of your own head and live fully in the moment with your animals, and live life intentionally, then your dogs are going to show symptoms of that. The energy of your dog is an overall reflection of the average energy of your life and home over a period of time.