The “Puppy License” Has Expired: Time to Trade the Diapers for Decisions
By iKE ALLEN, Happy Healthy Dog Co-Founder
We’ve all seen a nine-week-old puppy wreak havoc at a family barbecue. They trip over their own ears, pee on the expensive rug, and nip at the elderly aunt’s ankles. And what do we all do? We coo. We say, “Aww, he doesn’t know any better! He’s just a baby!” In the dog world, we call this the Puppy License. For the first few months of life, older dogs and humans alike give the pup a free pass. They have a “get out of jail free” card for almost any behavior because their brain is still essentially a bowl of lukewarm oatmeal.
But then, one day… it happens. The pup tries that same nipping behavior on a grumpy senior Lab, and instead of a wag, they get a sharp, firm correction. The senior dog is saying, “The license has expired, kid. You’re part of the pack now, and the pack has rules.”
The Dog Education: The Shift to Accountability
In dog training, they see owners who try to extend the “Puppy License” indefinitely. They have a three-year-old Great Dane who is still jumping on people and stealing steaks off the counter, and they’re still saying, “He’s just a big baby!” The problem? A dog without a license expiration is a dog that never feels secure. Dogs crave the structure of knowing where they stand.
When we stop making excuses for them and start providing clear boundaries, their anxiety levels actually drop. They stop being frantic “babies” and start being confident, reliable companions.
The ReThink Pivot: Are You Still Using Your 1994 License?
Humans are notorious for holding onto their “Puppy Licenses” way past the expiration date.
We use our past, our upbringing, our “personality type,” or even our zodiac sign to justify behaviors that are clearly holding us back. We say things like, “I’ve always been a procrastinator,” or “I’m just a hothead, it’s how I’m wired.” We’re essentially peeing on the rug of our own lives and expecting the world to say, “Aww, they don’t know any better!”
Back when I taught my LEAP! Seminars, I’d meet people who were forty, fifty, or sixty years old still operating on a license issued in their childhood. They were coming from a place of Obligation to their old stories rather than the Inspiration of who they could be today.
Using the ReThink Method allows us to realize the most important “Good job!” is the one that comes from inside. When you stop making excuses for yourself, you find a level of power you didn’t know you had. You realize that you aren’t a victim of your “puppy” habits—you are the adult in the room. You become a “self-rewarding” pup who knows that the most liberating words in the human language are: “I’m responsible for this.”
The [ReThink] Tool: The Expiration Audit
The next time you catch yourself making an excuse for a habit that makes you feel “less than,” try this:
- Check the Date: Look at the behavior and ask: “Is this a ‘Puppy License’ excuse? Am I using my past to justify my present?” __________________________________________________________________________
- Tear Up the Card: Acknowledge that the license has expired. Say, “I’m an adult member of the pack now. I don’t need to be ‘cute’; I need to be capable.” __________________________________________________________________________
- The Grown-Up Reward: Choose the disciplined action over the easy excuse. Notice the “Good job!” that echoes in your head when you actually follow through. That’s the sound of a dog who finally knows where they belong._____________________________________________________________________________
The Bottom Line
Excuses are like puppy teeth—they’re sharp, they’re annoying, and they’re meant to fall out.
It’s okay to have been a “mess” in the past. We all had our seasons of tripping over our ears. But the most compassionate thing you can do for yourself is to stop treating yourself like a baby. The world is waiting for the adult version of you to show up and lead. So, I encourage you to hand in your license, stand up straight, and start acting like the leader of your own pack. While it’s not always easy to do, the rug (and your life) will be much cleaner for it!
