Path of Least Resistance

French bulldogs are prone to spinal issues and jumping on and off furniture increases the risk of injury. So I bought a small set of stairs so that my Frenchie could get on and off the couch without jumping. Unfortunately, I didn’t introduce the stairs until he was already four years old. So needless to say the four year habit of jumping on and off the couch was pretty cemented in to his little walnut brain. 🧠

I was able to get him to go up and down if there were treats involved. But once the treats were out of the picture he ignored the stairs entirely. He actually saw them as an obstacle to avoid. So he would jump OVER and around the steps in order to get on and off the couch. Apparently, animals really don’t understand the concept of preventative measures. I’m sure if he was in pain then he would see the steps as the path of least resistance to get to where he wants to be, but since he’s not the path of least resistance is to jump over the obstacle. And him jumping to avoid the stairs was a far more awkward and risky movement. So I gave up on the stair idea. 

Animal brains don’t have the same sophistication as humans. Yes there’s neuroplasticity, but for the most part they are primal brain creatures and seek out the path of least resistance for everything. Humans differ by having the ability to use their prefrontal cortex to make decisions from a higher capacity, but this requires more effort. And since we are still animals wired for survival we default to the perceived path of least resistance. So we tend to react more than we process. It requires less effort to react from our primal brain than to process, decide, and act from our higher brain. If my dog had the ability to see the stairs and understand that making the effort to adopt this new habit will prevent a lot of trouble down the road then he would use the stairs, but he can’t. But YOU can.

✅Action Step:

If you find yourself avoiding what needs to be done and opting for the things that don’t need to be done instead, this is your primal brain choosing the path of least resistance. When you get here STOP, acknowledge that it’s happening, thank your brain for trying to protect you, and then move forward with what needs to be done even if it’s uncomfortable. Every time you do this you train yourself to become less reactive, more trusting in yourself, and eventually more skilled at creating the life and practice that you want.