Dog with a Bone

If a particular dog has a bone that you want, you have to ask that dog for that bone, and do it in such a way that you get the bone and not the dog.  Before you ask, you have to forget that its a dog who has the bone because if you treat a dog like a dog, then you wont get that bone.  You need skills, yes, patience for starters and sometimes, learning what makes the dog happy.  You also need to constantly keep your mind focussed on what you need that bone for and why it is important to you.  Dogs were created for a purpose and there is a reason why they are man's best friend.  Good dogs know that if their master gives them a bone, sharing is not the thing they expect the dog to do, but rather, to guard the bone jelously and enjoy it themselves.  By the same token, the master expects the dog to protect him when need arises, so there is an exchange of usefulness for both dog and master.

If you want to get a bone from a dog, you have to think whether or not the effort will be worth it and what can happen if you do not get that particular bone.  Half the time, life gives us all the bones we desire.  Its just that, we decide maybe the bones are not as necessary as they seemed when we initially set out to get them.  Or that there will always be other bones.