Getting Out of the Dog House€¦ · part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by means without prior written permission

Getting Out of the Dog House

An inspiring journey of how to get out of the

Dog House

Corinne Butler Peter McCleary


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First printed in 2014 by Getting Out of the Dog HousePO Box 2292, Fortitude Valley Qld 4006, Australia

© Corinne Butler 2014© Peter McCleary 2014The moral rights of the author have been asserted National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entryAuthor: Butler, Corinne Avida, 1977- author.Title: Getting out of the dog house / Corinne Butler, Peter

McCleary.ISBN: 9780992480806 (paperback)Subjects: Dogs–Fiction. Personality assessment. Emotional intelligence. Teams in the workplace. Work environment. Organizational behavior.Other Authors/Contributors: McCleary, Peter, 1959- author.Dewey Number: A823.4Illustrations: www.ryanjonesillustration.com and http://a-hero-thats-

not.tumblr.com/

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address above.Printed in China by Print Source Global.All dogs and events in the book are fictitious.Limit of Liability / Disclaimer or Warranty: While the Publisher and the authors have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor authors shall be liable for any loss of profit, or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential or other damages.


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To Lynne and Wayne

$1 from every book sold will be gifted to charity.


CONTENTS

Day 1 - What happened? ............................................................6

Charles ......................................................................................8

Dexter .....................................................................................10

Izzy .........................................................................................12

Sally ........................................................................................14

Off to the Dog House ................................................................16

Day 2 – Red Cell .......................................................................23

Day 3 – Dog Styles ....................................................................25

Day 4 – Dog Styles – Two Fit ......................................................30

Day 5 – Dog Senses...................................................................38

Day 6 – Dog Smarts ..................................................................52

Day 7 – Star Cell .......................................................................65

Lessons ...................................................................................67

Epilogue ..................................................................................70

Dog Training Program ...............................................................71

Who’s Wally? ...........................................................................72

Acknowledgements ..................................................................73


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Day 1 - What happened?

Trapped. Bars all around. No way out. Strangers in here that I do not know. How did I get myself into this situation?

It was just a normal day like any other day…Oh that’s right…


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Charles

Charles started his day like any normal day. He got up at the same time and followed his same routine. Except it was a Saturday and being a Saturday meant a walk in the park. Being private in nature, Charles loved his morning walks in the Park by himself.

It was a glorious day for a walk in the park, not too hot, not too cold, the perfect weather. When he got to the far side of the park he saw something out of place. Something that had not been there before. Something new.

It was Charles’ nature to go over and explore what it was. To understand what it was. To ensure that it was right to be there, that it was allowed to be there. But Charles wasn’t the first one to notice that there was something new, strange and odd in the Park.


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Charles


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Dexter

As soon as Dexter entered the Park he knew that something had changed, and not necessarily for the better. Dexter went over to see what had happened.

Dexter was in shock.

In the Park, “Dexter’s Park”, had been built a Cat House (cat play enclosure). This wasn’t allowed. Dexter knew that he had to immediately correct the issue. This was not right. Who approved this monstrosity?

It was at this stage that Dexter decided he would talk to the Park Supervisor and advise him that the Cat House would have to be removed immediately.

Dexter found the Supervisor and told him what he thought of the structure and that in no uncertain terms, it would have to be immediately removed!


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Dexter


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Izzy

Izzy couldn’t decide what she wanted to do this day as she had so many options. She had been invited by different friends to go out for lunch, then afternoon tea and then dinner and thought that she should be able to catch up with everyone. The first thing that Izzy needed to do was to go through the Park so that she could meet her friend for brunch.

While walking through the Park, Izzy saw two other dogs that she knew, Charles and Dexter, talking to the Park Supervisor. Izzy, headed over in their direction as she never wanted to miss out on what was going on.

By the time Izzy got there Dexter was yelling at the Supervisor and Charles was trying to ascertain the facts of what had happened, when it had happened and who had approved it.

Izzy didn’t even notice the new Cat House.


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Izzy


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Sally

Sally, who was also nearby, heard all of the commotion and raced over to see if she could help. Sally prided herself on being able to help others and sort out situations so that there was a harmonious and happy outcome for everyone.

By the time that Sally got there, things weren’t going well at all. Dexter was yelling, Charles was trying to establish the facts, and Izzy wanted to know what was going on.

Sally tried to get everyone to understand that if they didn’t all calm down, and work through the situation, nothing would get sorted out. Sally used her tact and patience to try to help the others to understand.

Sally wasn’t successful.


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Sally


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Off to the Dog House

By this time the Park Supervisor had called for backup. The Supervisor could have handled the situation with one or maybe two being unhappy. But four was out of his league.

Backup arrived in the form of the Dog Pound Catcher. Within minutes the Catcher had caught the four wayward dogs and they were all…off to the Dog House.


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When they arrived at the Dog House they were all processed and thrown into the one cell. The first chap they met was Wally.

This old wise dog introduced himself by saying, “Welcome to the Dog House. I trust that you will enjoy your stay. You can make this experience as easy or as hard for yourselves as you like. I encourage you to listen to my advice. I have been here for 10 years and love the place, it meets all of my needs and I enjoy what I do”.

Dexter interrupted Wally by saying, “Why would we want to listen to you when you are trapped in here as well? All we want to do is to get out”.

“You all will have your own thoughts on how to get out. Over the 10 years that I have been here, I can tell you what to do and what not to do to get out of the Dog House. Your time here will be more enjoyable if you simply listen and apply my advice. It will take you about a week to get out of the Dog House. But for now, it is time for me to go. I will see you in the morning” said Wally.


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Wally


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No sooner had Wally left than Dexter started telling the group that he would find a way to get out of the Dog House. Dexter told the group how he had achieved the near impossible during his time in the real world, the world outside of the Dog House. He told them that he would have them out in less than a week.

Izzy started to question whether Dexter could really get them out. Izzy reasoned that they would all need to contribute to get the best outcome. Izzy was sure they could quickly get out and that this was a positive adventure where they could all make new friends at the same time.

Charles wanted to understand the process and detail behind Dexter’s thinking of how he was going to get them out.

And Sally wanted to support everyone. She wanted to comfort and console the group and let everyone know that they would be okay.

Dexter started yelling at Izzy about her stupidity, and that she needed to be logical and work out how to get out. Charles couldn’t understand why Sally was focused on the group, when what they needed to do was figure out a plan to get out of the Dog House.


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By the end of the night, no one was in a good place. Dexter was talking like a crazy dog. He now feared that he could not get out, that he was being taken advantage of and was feeling vulnerable. Charles had spent the entire night planning how to get out; however, he was afraid that his way out would be criticised and he hated to be wrong. Izzy hated the fact that the group had not valued any of her ideas and she was feeling ignored and isolated. Sally was simply agreeing with everyone’s ideas to try to keep the peace and bring about some sort of harmony.

It was not a good night for anyone.


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The next morning Wally came in and greeted everyone with a happy, “A top of the morning to you all. Today there will be people coming in to see if they want to adopt dogs in the other cells. Today you will not get the chance to be adopted as you are not ready yet.”

“What do you mean we don’t get a chance to be adopted today? Isn’t that your job to get us adopted and out of here?” questioned Dexter. Before Wally could respond, Dexter asked, “What do you mean we ‘are not ready’”?

“You are right Dexter. I do try to get all dogs adopted. What I have found is that dogs have a very low success rate being adopted on their first day. In fact, we refer to new cells as Red Cells as you are a real risk of not being adopted. We have found that our Star Cells have a higher chance of being adopted.”

“That’s a load of rubbish” exclaimed Dexter. “We want the chance to be adopted today.”

“We would really appreciate the chance to be adopted today Wally.” Sally kindly said.

“Okay. I am happy to give you the opportunity. My tip to you all is that you need to all work as a team so that your prospective new owners will want you. You only have seven days to be adopted before ‘it’s all over red rover’.”


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Everyone knew what this meant. They had all heard the horror stories about dogs who went to the Dog House and never came home. They didn’t want this to happen to them.

“Here come the first potential new owners. Now remember to work as a team.” encouraged Wally.

The first couple were in their late 50’s. They came to the cell, looked in and called out to the group to come over. Then all hell broke loose. Dexter was barking, “Pick me, pick me.” Izzy then started telling the new owners why they should only consider her. Sally was trying to calm everyone down. While Charles couldn’t understand the logic in anything that anyone was doing so stayed quiet. The couple soon left.

The day only got worse.

By the end of the day, three cells of dogs had been adopted and this group hadn’t even been patted.

Late that afternoon Wally came back and said, “A top of the afternoon to you. How did you go today?” You can only imagine the response from Dexter. In a very wise voice Charles asked profoundly, “Wally, you have been here for a long time, can you tell us the secret to getting out of the Dog House?”

“I thought you would never ask.” grinned Wally.


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Day 2 – Red Cell

Wally explained that the cells in the Dog House are not all the same. Each group is different and each dog is responsible for their success to get out of the Dog House. The faster the cell aligns to the strategy and vision of the Dog House, the quicker they will all get out. The goal of the Dog House is to get everyone adopted with the right owners so they can have the happiest and most fulfilling lives. When each dog arrives, they are assessed and each cell is benchmarked against all other cells and the vision of the Dog House.

“Your cell benchmarked very poorly and there is a high risk that you will not be adopted. We call cells that benchmark poorly our Red Cells.”

Wally spoke about how the culture of this cell was very poor from a teamwork perspective and that he would work with them to improve this so that they could be adopted. Wally explained that it was very hard to change the culture if all of the dogs in the cell did not want to. But the cells that he worked with, who improved their culture with his help, had a very high success rate of getting out of the Dog House. When the dogs’ Strategy is aligned with the Task of getting out of the Dog House and their Actions line up with


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this, the Result is that they have a higher chance of getting out. Wally explained that these cells were the Dog House’s Star Cells. “Oh I get it!” exclaimed Izzy. “Star stands for Strategy, Tasks, Actions and Results. I love it!” “How do we work together when we are all so different, to become a Star Cell?” asked Charles.“That’s tomorrow’s project.” said Wally “One step at a time and one day at a time.” After Wally had left, all four talked about what had happened over the past 48 hours. They spoke about how much their lives had changed, how none of them had wanted these changes, how they were not working together, about what a disaster they must have looked like to their potential new owners, that the other cells seemed to work so much better together, and, that they understood that they were at risk of not being adopted. Finally, they worked out that they were all very different but that somehow they had to work together to improve their group’s culture to get out of the Dog House. They even talked about what the concept of being a group meant and about how a group can be both bad and good, and how they needed to become a harmonious and high performing group to get out of the Dog House. They all agreed that they wanted to be a Star Cell.


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Day 3 – Dog Styles

The next morning they awoke now fully understanding the situation of their Red Cell. They understood that they needed to change and become a Star Cell otherwise they may not get out of the Dog House.As soon as she saw Wally, Izzy asked, “How do we improve our teamwork when we are all so different?”“Good question.” replied Wally. “Now let me answer by asking you some questions. We are all intelligent and have dog intelligence (DQ), while humans call it IQ. We all have our own Dog Style and we all have Dog Smarts. How much do you think your DQ changes from birth?”Dexter immediately said 80%, Izzy quickly said 70%, Sally didn’t fully understand the question and Charles wanted more detail.“The answer is 0%. DQ doesn’t change from birth” Wally explained. Wally then asked: “If your DQ doesn’t change, how about your Dog Style? How much do you think your Dog Style changes from birth?”Dexter immediately said 50%, Izzy quickly said


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80%, Sally said she thought a lot, and Charles said that he thought it would be low.“You are right Charles. The latest research is showing that it changes between 1-5%” Wally stated.“Think about it like this. Has anyone here had any puppies?”Sally said that she once had 4 puppies in the one litter.“As you watched them grow up and become dogs, did their Dog Style change or did you still see the same style that they had when they were puppies?”“You are right! I saw those Dog Style traits from birth.” Sally recalled fondly.“There are lots of different Dog Styling tools, the one that I use with the Cells is that you are either dog focussed or task focussed. What do you think you are?”Charles and Dexter agreed that they were both task focused as they had spent the first night working together on the task at hand. Izzy and Sally said that they were both dog focussed as their priority was to get the dogs out.“The second part of your Dog Style is that you


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either want to control what is going on, or you are willing to adapt and go with the flow”.Dexter let everyone know that he was definitely the controller. Izzy agreed that she too wanted to control the situation. Charles and Sally agreed that they were both willing to adapt to keep the peace, avoid conflict and support any good ideas that others’ raise.“Dexter you want to get things done in the best interests of the task, Izzy you want to get things done in the best interest of the dogs, Sally you want to make sure that everyone is okay and Charles you are typically ensuring that there is accuracy and a process.”“Wow!” they all replied in unison “You are spot on.”“And each of you are all four Dog Styles, but you will all naturally have a preference.” explained Wally.“If we are all so different, how are we going to work together to get out of the Dog House?” asked Izzy.“The key is to understand each other’s preferences and differences and then work together.”“Dexter is a Dominant Dog Style. What have you noticed about him?”They all agreed that they had noticed that Dexter is very self-confident, appeared dominant, could


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be direct, forceful and had wanted to take risks. Dexter nodded very proudly at how the group had summarised him. Wally replied that this type has the priorities of doing things, taking action, getting outcomes and challenging the status quo.“Charles is a Cautious Dog Style. What have you noticed about him?”They agreed that they had noticed that he paid attention to detail, that he was precise, that he was a little shy, that he could be sceptical and that he could be reserved. Wally explained that this type valued challenge, attention to detail and ensuring good processes. Charles would always have his i’s dotted and t’s crossed before he said anything. Charles proudly agreed with Wally.“Izzy is the Influential Dog Style. What have you noticed about her?”They commented on how they saw her as charming, outgoing, sociable, talkative, enthusiastic and always optimistic. Wally summarised that Izzy’s priorities are getting things done, being enthusiastic and being concerned with what others’ say.“Sally has a Supportive Dog Style. What have you noticed about her?”


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They agreed that they had noticed patience, her being a good team player, that she was calm and approachable and a good listener. Wally confirmed that Sally valued everyone’s opinion and making sure that they were okay, that everyone was looked after and also the things were stable.“Sally is the really nice one of this group.” said Wally and Sally humbly agreed.The group was in awe that they had noticed these traits and behaviours of themselves and others, and that they could pick them – now they understood what they were looking for.Wally went on to say that with this information they would understand their similarities and differences, and increase their performance as a team through more effective relationships.“And what about people? Do they have Dog Styles too?” asked Charles. “Another great question. What do you think?” quizzed Wally.“I feel they do,” answered Izzy, “I think if we can work out what their style is then we can figure out how to get out of the Dog House.”“And tomorrow is adoption day so you will get to put into practice what you have learnt and see who fits with the owners and if you can get out of the Dog House.”


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Day 4 – Dog Styles – Two Fit

The dogs didn’t sleep that night. They were all excited with the newfound information they had on their own Dog Style and behaviours, and were determined to use this information to get out of the Dog House. There had been many heated discussions throughout the night as to who got on best with whom.

They had debated whether it is best for the two same Dog Styles to be put together, for example, Dexter to be put with another strong Dog Style. They had debated if the exact opposites got on better, for example, Charles to be put with someone like Izzy. They had debated whether the important thing was that both prioritised either the task, for example, Dexter and Charles being together, or the dogs, like Izzy and Sally. Or if the important one was either controlling or adapting, so putting Izzy and Dexter together and then putting Sally and Charles together.

In the end they agreed that since they are all four Dog Styles but with a preference, that they would naturally get on with anyone with their new found understanding. And they were right.

Except they were wrong.


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The first new owner to walk in was a kind, humble elderly gentleman. He spoke to Wally in a calm manner, patted him and threw the ball to him before moving throughout the Dog House and seeing all of the dogs.

Our group immediately picked him as similar to Sally’s Dog Style. They had talked all night about who would be the best Dog Style for a potential owner for Sally. They had wondered if anyone would suit. They all agreed that everyone would suit, but how would they showcase the right dog out of the four of them for any new owner.

Dexter being dominant thought that he was still the best dog for all new prospective owners to meet first. Dexter was adamant that if the group wanted to survive, that he should be the first one that any owner saw and patted.

Izzy argued that Dexter would scare some owners with his abruptness and determination and that he wasn’t the right dog for the elderly gentleman. Sally didn’t want to fight anymore and Charles didn’t have all the facts to put his thoughts across, so neither of them shared their opinion. In the end Izzy gave in to Dexter and let him be the first dog that greeted their potential new owner.

Dexter bounded up to the potential new owner, barked and growled and told him what he


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could do, what he could achieve, and what the characteristics of the rest of the group were.

After the owner had left, Izzy commented on how nice he had been and how much she would like to be adopted by him. Dexter was confident that he had made an impression on him. Sally wasn’t sure what sort of impression Dexter had made on the kind gentleman. And Charles was hoping that one of the others dogs would get adopted as the owner seemed a little “too nice” for his liking.

They never saw the elderly gentleman again.

The next person to walk in was a confident business woman who knew what sort of dog she wanted. Dexter immediately recognised her to be similar to his Dog Style. Dexter commented to the group that he didn’t think his last efforts went that well and he thought that he may potentially conflict with another strong Dog Style, so wanted someone else in the group to greet her first.

Izzy volunteered. Izzy approached this potential owner with her usual enthusiasm about how wonderful it would be to adopt one of this group and how much the business woman would enjoy it. The owner looked strangely at her and asked her if she was happy to play ball every day at 6am, to have the same routine and to be fed the same thing every day. Izzy wasn’t sure if this was


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the right match for her.

Needless to say, the group didn’t see the business woman again.

They then started thinking about who may have been the best fit with this woman. Izzy said that she definitely was not the right fit for the business woman. Charles had been sitting there quietly taking everything in and said, “Maybe I would have been a good match? I do like routine and I would have liked to have done those tasks with her.”

The group were coming around to the thinking that some Dog Styles did fit with other styles better than others. But they still hadn’t figured out the pattern - if there was one.

The next person to come in was an outgoing and vivacious woman with an Izzy Dog Style. Izzy volunteered Charles to be the one that greeted the woman. The group had all agreed that they could each get on with their same styles, but they thought there was probably a better match than two Dexters’ together, two Izzys’ together, two Charles’ together and two Sallys’ together.

Charles greeted this woman with great respect. He provided an overview of the group to the potential owner. He stated what everyone’s


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strengths and weaknesses were, and how the new owner would be happy with one of them. Charles was out of his comfort zone, but trying hard to speak up for the betterment of the group.

Unfortunately they did not see her again either.

The group was feeling disappointed and exhausted. They had tried everything and nothing seemed to be working.

The final new owner of the day was definitely similar to Charles’ Dog Style. Sally was the only one that hadn’t yet had a turn at meeting the new person. They all agreed that they didn’t think a ‘Sally’ was the best match for a ‘Charles’, but wanted to be fair and give Sally a turn.

They never saw this potential owner again either.

At the end of the day Wally came in and asked them all how they were feeling. No one was in a good place.

“We tried to put into practice what we learnt and it doesn’t work.” they barked at Wally.

“What doesn’t work?” questioned Wally.

“We think that some Dog Styles naturally fit better than others. We tried to figure it out and failed.”

“Let’s talk about it. The first elderly man, what type was he?”


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“Definitely like Sally.” stated Dexter.

“And who fitted best with him?” asked Wally.

“I would have loved to have been adopted by him.” said Izzy.

“And why is that?” questioned Wally.

“He was great. He was focussed on his family, enjoying life and being happy.”

“Great observations. Both Sally’s and Izzy’s have similar priorities. And you have just worked out the “2 Fit Rule”. This means that they naturally click.” confirmed Wally.

“Oh I see! That means that the vivacious lady, similar to Izzy’s Dog Style, would naturally have clicked with Sally, so we should have sent Sally to meet her.”

“Well done. That is right!” commended Wally.


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“And you had the confident business woman who was like Dexter. Who would have naturally clicked with her?” asked Wally.

“I should have been the one that met her. We both prioritise the task and job. I didn’t have the courage to say this, but I really agreed with what I heard her say.” commented Charles.

“That means that we should have got Dexter to meet the potential owner who had a style like Charles, and, Charles should have met the confident business woman as they both prioritise the task.”

“Great work.” said Wally.

“Is that all we need to know to get adopted?” Izzy said excitedly

“I want you to learn that skill first. When you meet with someone, what is the first thing you


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do?” asked Wally.

“You pick their Dog Style.” they answered in unison.

“And then what do you do?” asked Wally.

“You adapt your style to meet their needs.” they all answered.

People with a Dexter Dog Style like Charles type dogs.

People with a Charles Dog Style like Dexter type dogs.

People with an Izzy Dog Style like Sally type dogs.

And people with a Sally Dog Style like Izzy type dogs.

“Good night all. Tomorrow is another day and we will take the next step to getting you out of the Dog House” said Wally.


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Day 5 – Dog Senses

“A top of the morning to you all.” said Wally.

“Wally, we want to be adopted today. Now that we know how to fit with anyone, we can get on with everyone.” said Dexter.

“That’s great that you know the tricks to connecting with your new owners, but what about if you have different values or what I call Dog Sense?” asked Wally.

“What do you mean by Dog Sense?” enquired Charles.

“This is not your typical Dog House. Our goal is to get everyone out of the Dog House. But we are also very selective as to who is allowed to adopt one of our dogs. We see you as family and we want you to go to the best family possible. We have a Dog Sense Training Program that all owners must go through before they can adopt one of you. People say that common sense isn’t common. Well, we say that Dog Sense isn’t common either. So we want to make sure that everyone has Dog Sense. If owners cannot commit to our Dog Sense, they cannot adopt one of our dogs. Therefore if you cannot commit


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to, and live by Dog Sense, then your chances of being adopted are very slim. And our goal is to get you out of here.” stated Wally.

“But why is Dog Sense so important?” enquired Charlies.

“Dog Sense is what binds a team and family together.” said Izzy.

“They are the common goals, the ground rules, the unwritten foundation of a culture; a family.” said Sally.

“I don’t see how they can be important.” stated Dexter.

“Let me ask a different question. What is the probability of being adopted and succeeding in the family if we don’t live by Dog Sense?” queried Charles.

“Two good questions Charles. You have a high probability of being adopted if you learn Dog Sense now. And you have a very high probability of being returned to the Dog House and not getting out if you do not live with Dog Sense in the family.” explained Wally.

“What do you mean returned to the Dog House?” asked Izzy.


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“Unfortunately not everyone here has a happy ending Izzy. I know that you want a happy ending for everyone and those who apply what I am teaching you do have a happy ending.” explained Wally.

There was silence for a long period as it sunk into the group what their reality was. They were now four days into their stay at the Dog House. They had had the opportunity to be adopted twice and had failed. They were now half way to either a happy ending or just “ending”. This gave the group the momentum they needed.

“So tell us about Dog Sense.” said Charles.

Wally then facilitated the Dog Sense Training Program.

“The Dog Sense Training Program is based around Dog Sense. What do you think the five senses are?” enquired Wally.

“Everyone knows that they are smell, sight, hearing, touch and taste.” commented Dexter.

“That’s right Dexter. But do you know what they really mean?” asked Wally.

“Tell us Wally. We want to know what they are and why they are so important to getting out of the Dog House.” stated Izzy.


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Smell (the Truth and Trust)

“The first one is ‘Smell’. What does this mean to you?” asked Wally.

“We are dogs. We pride ourselves at smelling the truth. We are experts at determining whether something ‘smells good or bad’. That’s what it means to me.” said Dexter.

“And I can always ‘smell a rat’. It is one of my best points. I know when someone is not telling the truth. It just doesn’t smell right. And I know when I cannot trust someone, it just doesn’t feel right.” stated Izzy.

“You are both right. And we dogs are good at this. We need to extend this sense to build on the ‘smell test’ through increasing our levels of trust which comes from other dogs telling the truth.” explained Wally. “There are core ‘smell’ or ‘truth’ guidelines.”

Wally explained that a key ground rule, if something is to be discussed, is to apply the ‘24 hour’ rule. For dogs like Dexter, they typically take 2.4 seconds to say something negative or blunt. And dogs like Charles and Sally they can take 2.4 months or 2.4 years to say something important. The ‘24 hour’ rule means that the Dexters have


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to think about the issue, and if it still needs to be brought up, to bring it up the next day (with the individual that you have the problem with). And for dogs like Charles and Sally they only lose one night’s sleep worrying about the issue.

It also builds trust, because there are no hidden items or agenda’s, and so others see your personal will and preparedness to raise issues all of the time, in the right way, with the right individuals.

Wally explained more guidelines regarding ‘Smell’ like making certain it is a good time to talk, that we don’t attack, make it personal or apologise and that we offer some solutions/options for how we want things to occur in the future (as we know we can’t turn back time). He also talked about the group needing to be on the same page, that we need to ensure we all have the same solution / picture in our heads, including a completion time – and agreement about who does what and when. And that we need to trust each individual dog to complete their tasks and support them if they are struggling.

Finally, Wally explained that if you really want to be ‘smelling good’ to others, you really need to show good manners all of the time. Bad manners leave a bad smell!


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Sight (What you See is What you Get)

“The next Dog Sense is ‘Sight’. What does this mean to you?” asked Wally.“It means that everyone can see what you either do or don’t do and that actions speak louder than words.” said Charles. “And for me it means that if someone commits to doing something I need to see that they always deliver on this commitment.”“That’s a good explanation.” said Wally.Wally explained that one of the ‘Sight’ guidelines was that we do what we have agreed to do, all of the time. “That one applies to me. I often agree to things, to keep the peace, but have no intention of ever doing them. And sometimes I don’t even agree with what the other dog has said but don’t let them know that I don’t agree.” stated Sally.“That is right Sally. Your need to have harmony and keep the peace sometimes means that your ‘Sight’ sense is not as developed as some of your others. The problem with that is that what you do (or allow), you teach. So the more you allow things to occur, the stronger you reinforce the way it will always happen” commented Wally.“That is a very good point. It is a little like what I permit, I promote. And sometimes I am not


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promoting the appropriate behaviour” admitted Sally.“Sally and Charles, another guideline that I find your style struggles with is that if you see something that does not make sense to you, you need to raise the issue within 24 hours with the right person. This means that you need to get the real story first while it is a molehill, rather than allow it to become a mountain over time. And it also means that you only lose one night’s sleep over it rather than 2.4 weeks, 2.4 months or 2.4 years.” stated Wally. “That is so me” lamented Charles.Wally explained that another guideline is that you follow through on mutually agreed outcomes all of the time, as commitment is key. “Izzy and Dexter a guideline for both of you to be aware of is that you cannot lead from way in front or way behind, you need to work with individuals at their pace to help them achieve their outcomes, so that you can achieve your goals.” explained Wally. “There is something that we can all work on with the ‘Sight’ sense.” commented Izzy.“I like to think of us all being works in progress.” said Wally. “Don’t forget those who are adopting you have to go through this Program as well” advised Wally.


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Hearing (is a 2 way street)

“The next Dog Sense is ‘Hearing’. What does this mean to you?” asked Wally.

“A wise dog once said to me that we are born with two ears and one mouth so we should listen more than we talk.” commented Sally.

“And not only do we need to listen more, we need to demonstrate that we have listened.” explained Izzy.

“I am often told that I need to demonstrate that I have heard what the other dog has said, as sometimes individuals think that I am not listening when I am not responding.” said Charles.

“I have often been told that I am not listening. I listen, but sometimes do not hear as I am not really open to what the other dog is saying. I am also too busy thinking about what I will be saying next, to stay tuned into what individuals are saying.” confessed Dexter.

“You are all correct. Two-way communication is core to successful conversations.” explained Wally. “And you raised a good point Dexter, we all need to listen in an open way, recognising the natural biases that we have with different Dog Styles. It is a good idea to let the other person


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know what you think they said” commented Wally.

Wally asked if we could learn from dogs older than us – we all agreed. He then asked if we could learn from dogs that were like us – we all agreed. He then asked if we could learn from dogs that were younger than us – we didn’t all agree. Then we realized that we can learn from everyone as no one knows everything.

“If we approach every conversation not thinking that we know everything, and then demonstrate this through active listening and humility, does this mean we will be more effective every time with our hearing sense?” asked Sally.

Wally confirmed that Sally was on the right path to maximising her hearing sense.

Wally explained that another guideline is to genuinely listen to what we are being told, and re-phrase the explanations in our own words to outline what we understand.

“Sally and Charles, an important guideline for the both of you is that you propose ideas that might be unpopular or different.” explained Wally. “And Dexter it is important to encourage and support others who also propose ideas that


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might be different to your thinking.”

Wally pointed out that dogs like Sally and Izzy were less likely to propose new ideas if they were different to the current thinking of the group. He also pointed out that Sally and Charles would have spent 2.4 months or years researching, planning and perfecting the idea before they spoke up about it and that it may be a better strategy to propose the idea in 24 hours. Wally explained that the Dexters and Izzys needed to listen to the idea and not shoot it down in 2.4 seconds.

Wally’s final guideline was that we needed to communicate what we are thinking in an effective way using all of our Dog Smarts (which we were told was tomorrows’ lesson).


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Touch (their Hearts)

“The next Dog Sense is ‘Touch’. What does this mean to you?” asked Wally.

“To me this means that we touch their hearts. That we involve other dogs; that we get their buy in; and that we get their commitment.” answered Izzy.

“You are right. ‘Touch’ is critical to building engagement and alignment, strengthening relationships and genuinely showing that you care.” explained Wally.

Wally explained that the guidelines were around demonstrating Dog Smarts to others, all of the time. And that these Smarts are used to respond to different Dog Styles to strengthen relationships.

“If individual dogs are barking madly, then you need to calm them down. And if they are quiet and unresponsive, you need to engage them and warm them up.” stated Wally.

“Touching ‘hearts’ is about supporting and helping others to achieve their goals, putting their interests before your own and believing that their success is your success.” explained Wally. “Put others first, even if it means that they become


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better than you. Share your smarts, experience and senses with others whenever possible, as long as they have given permission for you to guide and coach”.

“Charles, it is important for you to remember to give credit and praise immediately on both small and large jobs. It is also important to raise concerns in a timely manner.” said Wally. “And the Izzy’s need to ensure that their praise is appropriate and genuine.” Wally said that everyone needed to be given credit fairly, regardless of their role in the group. Wally said that the Izzy’s and Sally’s need to listen to the facts, not just what their hearts were saying.

“Another often overlooked aspect of Touch, is the importance of resilience. We all need to demonstrate resilience when things don’t go so well, so that we can work as a group to find a positive outcome. And everyone needs to be proud of what others achieve and what you achieve as a group.” explained Wally.

“Wally, we are demonstrating ‘Touch’ at the moment. I am proud of what we are all achieving both individually and as a group so that we can get out of the Dog House.” commented Dexter.

“Yes you are demonstrating ‘Touch’.” agreed Wally.


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Taste

“The next Dog Sense is ‘Taste’. What does this mean to you?” asked Wally.“I know exactly what you mean. Just because something looks good, doesn’t mean it actually tastes good. I have jumped into things in the past without thinking, and it has left a very bad taste in my mouth.” commented Izzy.“That’s right. When all of our senses are aligned there are no surprises and things taste much better.” stated Wally.“There are lots of things that taste good but sometimes we need to look for them. You need to find good things happening every day, and acknowledge them – particularly if you want more good things to happen. Most dogs need positive, genuine reinforcement in a timely and consistent basis.” explained Wally.“There are many dogs who have been through this Program and are using their Dog Smarts. You need to acknowledge dogs who are brave enough to operate differently to their natural Dog Style, particularly if they are using their Dog Smarts. And you need to acknowledge this in a timely manner so they can still taste it when you are acknowledging it.” stated Wally. “Another important guideline is that you all need


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to define your own standards of performance, honesty and trust and they need to be non-negotiable. This is especially important to you, Charles and Sally. You need to be prepared to take action if individual dogs are not using their Dog Senses or Dog Smarts.” explained Wally.Wally asked if we were able to support and act according to these Dog Senses every day? We realized what he meant - that it wasn’t just a one-off thing, and that we needed to live by these principles all of the time. Wally explained that the dogs needed to take action if they saw other dogs not using their senses. Wally said that if the dogs couldn’t be proud of their group and family, then they should rethink what they were doing and why they wanted to be adopted. This was very sobering as the dogs all realised that they wouldn’t get out of the Dog House if they didn’t use all of their senses. And if they didn’t get out of the Dog House …After this session they were all exhausted. They were excited by the simplicity and power of the Dog Senses, however the reality of what would happen if they chose not to use their senses had hit them… And hit them hard. They wanted to get out of the Dog House but realised that they all needed to change. To achieve this they all needed to change for the better, and fast.


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Day 6 – Dog Smarts

“A top of the morning to you all.” said Wally.“Hi Wally! Is today the day we get adopted?” asked Izzy. “We are nearly there. The skill you are going to learn today will increase your chances of being adopted by 60%.”“What is it?” asked Izzy.“We all have a DQ. We all have a Dog Style. And we all have Dog Smarts. What percentage do you think DQ changes from birth?”“You have already given us this quiz.” replied Izzy. “DQ doesn’t change from birth, Dog Style only changes 1% but it is Dog Smarts that can change. Oh, now I get it, today we are going to focus on Dog Smarts.”“That’s right Izzy.” replied Wally.“What are Dog Smarts?” asked Charles. “It is a set of skills that defines how effectively a dog perceives, understands, and manages their own feelings, emotions and mood states, and those of others. Do you think that the development of these skills could underpin the development of exceptional relationship skills?” asked Wally.


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“Of course.” replied Izzy.“But isn’t that all of the warm and fuzzy stuff? I’m not into that at all.” stated Dexter.“Would you like to know yourself better.” asked Wally.“I’ve nearly had enough of this.” said Dexter.“Would you like to understand others’ better?” asked Wally.“I certainly would.” answered Izzy.“Would you like to make better decisions?” asked Wally.“Most definitely.” answered Sally.“Would you like to see and seize opportunities?” asked Wally.“Yes I would.” answered Charles.“Would you like to identify problems before they escalate?” asked Wally.“Now that I would like to do.” answered Dexter honestly.“And would you like to manage difficult situations and discussions?” asked Wally.“I would like that.” answered Charles.“This is how developing your Dog Smarts can assist. It can help you to develop your skills in these areas.” explained Wally.


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1. Self – Awareness

“Do you think your feelings, emotions or attitudes effect your decisions, behaviour and performance?” asked Wally.

“Yes I think they do. If I don’t like a dog or how they behave or their performance, then I must admit that I let this influence me. And not always for the betterment of the situation.” answered Izzy honestly.

“And I just want to bark at them and bite them if they are not doing the right thing.” answered Dexter.

“When you have this dog smarts, you are aware of how you are feeling all of the time, and what triggers your emotional buttons. As your emotions impact on your decisions, behaviour and performance, you really need to be in touch with yourselves.” explained Wally.


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2. Self-Management

“When you think about what happened at the Park, do you think you could have more effectively managed your emotions?” asked Wally.

“Most definitely.” they all agreed.

“You may not have had the pleasure of meeting each other and me, if you had managed your emotions more effectively.” joked Wally. “Developing this skill will also allow enhanced productivity and performance and emotional wellbeing.”

“There have been times this week when I have needed more of this skill.” Izzy said.

“This skill will help you remain optimistic, even while in here.” explained Wally. “And you will be seen as resilient rather than temperamental. Resilience is the ability to bounce back and cope with challenging situations.”


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3. Self-Control

“Have you ever been so emotional, angry or upset that you cannot think?” asked Wally.

“I was when I got impounded. I didn’t know what to do or say.” said Izzy.

“We probably all were” answered Charles, Dexter and Sally.

“You may not have ended up in this situation had you responded differently to the Park Supervisor. You may all still be at home.” explained Wally. “This skill helps you to effectively deal with situations that cause strong emotions and helps you think clearly in such stressful situations.”

“The only positive is that we wouldn’t have met each other and we wouldn’t have met you.” said Izzy, always seeing the dog bowl as half full.


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4. Expression

“Do you think being able to effectively express your emotions is beneficial?” asked Wally.

“I believe it is. I know that I need to improve on this skill. I have been given the feedback that I am emotionless, private and closed. I am not, I just do not know how to appropriately express my emotions.” said Charles.

“Thank you for your honestly Charles. You are right. Once you have developed this skill, it enhances trust and understanding with the group and individual dogs. It also creates perceptions of genuineness.” explained Wally. “In addition, others feel like they understand you better.”

“Dogs are smart. They know. They know how you are feeling. They can sense it. You wouldn’t want other dogs to make incorrect assumptions as to the reason and cause of your feelings.”

“By learning to express your emotions appropriately, others will sense that you are telling the truth and can be trusted, so you will pass the dog sense ‘smell’ test much easier.” explained Wally.


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5. Awareness of Others

“Would you like to improve the way you engage, respond to, motivate and connect with other dogs?” asked Wally.

“I hate to admit it, but my style of motivating and connecting with others’ could do with some improvement. I tell dogs what to do and they either don’t do it or don’t support me while doing it.” answered Dexter honestly.

“And I am not very good at reading other dogs.” said Charles.

“By improving on this skill you will be able to connect more effectively and honestly, and you will improve in your dog skills.” explained Wally. “You will also be seen as empathic rather than insensitive. Females are usually much better at this dog smart than males, so I expect Sally and Izzy have the edge on this one.”


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6. Management of Others

“Would you like to reduce conflict, inspire productivity and performance and create a positive group?” asked Wally.

“I think that we all would. And we would all say that we try to do this already.” said Sally.

“And the key is to make people feel optimistic and positive. How do you all feel?” asked Wally.

“Good, excited by the future opportunities, fine, and hopeful,” they responded.

“That’s good. Because that shows that I am doing a good job at managing your emotions. The reality is that you are all on death row. If you don’t get out of the Dog House you will not be going anywhere...” said Wally.

“Wow. You are good at this,” Charles stated, “I had forgotten the reality of our situation. I trust you implicitly and believe that we are getting out of the Dog House.”

“And I hope you will. But you are all doing the hard work. And if you do the hard work, you will survive.” said Wally. “This skill is also about helping other dogs to respond to adverse events.”


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7. Reasoning

“Do you think that reasoning can increase buy-in from other dogs when you are making decisions?” asked Wally.

“Of course.” answered Izzy. “I think that I am good at this skill. I try to understand others’ feelings, consider their feelings, consider my own feelings, and then use this information to get the support of the group.”

“Well done Izzy. That is what emotional reasoning is about. It allows you to be more innovative and creative when problem solving.” said Wally.

“When you think about what got us here in the first place, it was my inability to reason on what had happened at the Park.” suggested Charles.

“Now that you mention that Charles, I think that I can still work on this as I too didn’t behave appropriately, and that’s how I ended up in the Dog House.” Izzy lamented.

“That’s enough for today. Dog Smarts is key to being adopted. It is a contributor to both individual dog success and also group success. I will see you all tomorrow. The first thing that we do tomorrow is that we benchmark to see the


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changes you have all made. We will see if you are still a Red Cell or you are now a Star Cell. And after that it is the big day.” said Wally.

“Yes. It is the last day that we have the chance of getting out of the Dog House.” they all replied.

Overnight there wasn’t a lot of sleep. The dogs spent most of the night thinking and talking about what they had been through during the previous six days. They all hoped that tomorrow they would be adopted and get out of the Dog House, yet they were all realistic that they may not all be adopted. And they thought about how many of them would be adopted and who would not be adopted.

At the start of the week they all wanted to be adopted. Now they were having discussions about who should be adopted, and how they could work together to ensure that someone was adopted.

Wally overheard these conversations. Wally reflected that you would not have thought it was the same group of dogs that had come in here six days earlier.

Wally reflected on how this Program had come about. At the start Wally had lost too many dogs that should have been adopted. Yet everyday people wanted to adopt him.


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What was different about him? He felt like he was just like everyone else. He then thought about it and came up with this Dog Training Program.

At the start he only focused on Dog Style and had some success. But he was having too many dogs return. And when they returned, their chances of being readopted were very low.

He realised that individuals needed to make better use of their natural senses. Once he added Dog Sense to the Program he had less dogs return. But one dog was still too many to be returned in his mind.

He then realised that he also needed to add Dog Smarts to the Program. Once he had added this, rarely was a dog ever returned and on the odd occasion that they were returned, he was able to get the dog readopted.

Wally then had the problem with the Dog House owners not wanting to invest the time or money into training the dogs. He realised that he needed evidence, evidence that supported this Program, evidence that showed that Red Cells didn’t get adopted and evidence that Star Cells were the ones that got adopted. He then started benchmarking the activity and alignment of the dogs against being adopted pre and post Program.


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This evidence convinced the Dog House owners of the success of the Dog Training Program.

Wally was quietly confident that all of the dogs would be adopted. But he still had an unsettled night prior to every cell’s final adoption day. He had put a lot of time, energy and effort into helping these dogs. But he also realised that he could only influence the other dogs so much and that they had to change themselves to be adopted.

A restless night was had by all…


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Day 7 – Star Cell

“And a top of the morning to you all.” greeted Wally. “Today’s the day! How are you all feeling?”

They all agreed that they were positive and hopeful.

Earlier that morning they had been surveyed again to see how their cell had aligned to the strategy and vision of the Dog House. They were excited to see the results. They were excited to see if they were still a Red Cell or if they were now a Star Cell. They now hoped that they had aligned their activity and strategy, had developed in their Dog Style skills, aligned their Dog Sense and developed their Dog Smarts so they could be a Star Cell, so they could be adopted.

They knew the statistics. If they did this, they had a very high success rate of being adopted.

“What were our results?” Charles eagerly asked.

“You all need to be very proud of yourselves. You are now a Star Cell. Your activity is aligned to the strategy of the Dog House and you have a high probability of being adopted.” said Wally proudly.


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“Thank you for everything that you have done for us.” said Izzy.

Wally said to the group, “You are welcome. It is now your turn to influence others’ with what you have learnt. My hope is that you are all adopted and that you influence others’ one by one when you get out of the Dog House.”

“One step at a time, let’s get you adopted.”


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Lessons

Day 1 – what is your Catastrophe? What is it that pushes all of your buttons? And why is now the time for you to start working on these things? Typically 80% of dogs, people and businesses that we work with have felt pain, whether it is financial, operational or staffing, before they start this process. We hope that you are in the 20%. If you aren’t, we hope that you can move to the 20%.

My HR Solutions www.myhrsolutions.com.au would be happy to offer you a complimentary Business Health Check. You will need to let us know that you have read the book to receive it for free.

Day 2 – what is measured, matters. Have you benchmarked your business to ensure that your employees are aligned with your strategy? Have

you developed your action plan based on this? Do you regularly monitor your action plan? And do you benchmark yearly to measure your improvement?


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Getting Out of the Dog House works with HR Coach Australasia www.hrcoach.com.au to benchmark businesses using the STAR Workplace Program www.starworkplaceprogram.comau.

Day 3 – it is essential that you understand your personality preference and how to read others’. Once you are able to do this, you can then meet the needs of others’ and communicate with them in a way that they understand.

Getting Out of the Dog House w w w. g e t t i n g o u t o f t h e d o g house.com.au has developed a free tool that will identify your Dog Style, what your Dog Sense strengths are and what your Dog

Smarts are?

Day 4 – being able to connect with people is a key skill to building relationships. Relationships need to be based on trust, connection and honesty.

Day 5 – values are the basic foundation and building blocks of a team. Once you have this,

then you and others can both live by these values and commit to them. They are basic ground rules for the success of your organisation. If people are not


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behaving in accordance with the values, they need either more training or may not need to be part of your team.

Getting Out of the Dog House has developed a Dog Sense Training Program that can assist you.

Day 6 – the development of Dog Smarts is important. 90% of top performers are high in Dog Smarts. This is a skill that can be developed and

impacts on decisions, behaviours and performance.

Getting Out of the Dog House works with HR Coach Australasia to facilitate Dog Smarts Training Programs.

Day 7 – Re-benchmarking is important as it provides evidence of the improvement at a personal and business level. It is important to

benchmark both to see if activity and strategy are aligned, but also to benchmark Dog Smarts development and performance of individuals in skills and behaviours.


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Epilogue

We would like to thank you for sharing the journey of Dexter, Izzy, Sally and Charles with us. We have left the ending open as we know that it is up to each and every one of you to Get Out of the Dog House. We have been on this journey ourselves and wanted to share it with you. We still work with others’ and assist them in Getting Out of the Dog House.


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Dog Training Program

Star Cell Accreditation

We have certified the HR Coach Network to work with businesses on the STAR Workplace Program. Talk to a HR Coach Network Member and find out how your business can be a Star Cell. Or

talk to HR Coach www.hrcoach.com.au to find out how you can become Star Cell Accredited.

Dog Training Accreditation (Dog Style and Dog Sense)

Interested in being Accredited to run the Dog Training Program? This will give you accreditation to work with Clients to do Dog Style and Dog Sense Training. Talk to Wally www.gettingoutofthe

doghouse.com.au to find out how you can become Dog Style and Dog Sense Accredited.


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Dog Smarts

Talk to Wally to find out how your business and team can increase their Dog Smarts.

Who’s Wally?

There are many Wally’s out there. Do you think that you are a Wally? If so, take our free Who’s Wally Survey. And then talk to HR Coach Australasia www.hrcoach.com.au to find out

more about how to become a HR Coach Network Member and a Wally.


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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank those who have supported us and our ideas over the years. Firstly thank you to Jodi who helped us make the time to start writing. I would also like to thank Andrew who made me realise that this book can be for everyone. As always, a huge thank you to the HR Coach Australasia team Amber, Belinda, Blanche, Jan, Judy, Udo and the original Wally, Louise. I think we have discovered new talented designers, a huge thank you to Ryan and Michael for the artwork. And a huge thank you to Peter and Corinne’s families.

Peter’s final words – when you are trying to help organisations get out of the dog house, it is easy to forget that back at home there are family who have to cope with your ongoing absences – both physical and mental. Thanks Lynne, Lauren, Andrea and Sam for accepting the inevitable and allowing me to chase my dreams.

Corinne’s final words – thank you the most important people in my world, Wayne and Temperance, I love you to the moon and beyond.


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Corinne Butler (M Proj. Mgt, CAHRI)

Corinne has worked in resource management roles for over 15 years in a variety of industries and locations throughout Queensland. Her current consulting activities sees her working in the small, medium and large sectors to align business activity and business strategy, primarily

through pragmatic and logical people initiatives.

Corinne is the Queensland President of the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) and also the Convener of the HR Leaders’ Forum. She is a Director of HR Coach Australasia’ the largest HR Coaching Network in Australia.

Corinne is also the founder of Women of Warwick and is a Board Member of the Queensland Rural, Regional and Remote Women’s Network. Corinne regularly speaks at local and state Conferences on how businesses need to tweak the way they currently do their ‘people things’, to further improve their performance and productivity.


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Peter McCleary (MBA, GCertTQM, BBus, BA, ADipAdmin, CPA, CAHRI)

Peter has enjoyed an executive career in business and human resource management since 1977.

He has worked in and with small, medium and large organisations to achieve improvement in

performance and profitability, primarily through a pragmatic and logical focus on improving HR processes and leadership capability/performance.

Organisations that Peter has worked with have won national HR, OH&S and innovation awards.

Peter was appointed MD of HR Coach Australasia in 2011. HR Coach Australasia (which is part of the HR Coach International Network) has more than 100 offices in Australia and New Zealand and is focussed specifically on improving the performance and profitability of business, through improving the performance and alignment of the


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people ‘engine room’ of these businesses. Client organisations that use HR Coaches range in size between 10 and 8,000 employees.

Peter has also been involved with the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) for many years, including time as a State Councillor and national Awards Assessor. Peter has presented at National, State and Regional Conferences for more than 15 years, primarily focussed on lifting the performance of people to ensure long-term business success. Peter is passionate about good people and good people practices being essential for business success. He also believes that we need to make the ‘people stuff’ simpler to ensure businesses actually flourish, rather than flounder.

ISBN 978-0-9924808-0-6

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