- Have any of you now or in the past had any aggressive pets at home? Tells us about them. (Allow your teens to share about problematic issues with pet aggression; if you have any experience with an aggressive pet—past or present—be prepared to share as well. Ask any of those who respond how they handle the aggression and if the tactics they use have worked.)
Aggressive pets can be a problem—especially when they are snapping and biting at any and everyone around.
Share this video with your students [2:45]:
Confronting Richard | Dog Whisperer
- Do you think the dog needed to be confronted, or should they have left well enough alone and let him be? (Answers will vary.)
- What observations can you make about the way the dog was confronted? (Answers will vary, but might include that the man was purposeful, steady, perseverant; he didn’t raise his voice or strike the dog, etc.)
- Would you describe the confrontation and the approach used as “loving”? Why or why not? (Answers will vary but might include that the confrontation helped socialize the dog so that his interactions with people in the future are more pleasant.)
Confrontation is part of everyday life—even with people.
- What are some common examples of confrontation in our society? (Some possible answers: interactive relationships between friends, siblings, and teachers include confrontation of all sorts. Other examples might include road rage, bullying, war, parents’ rules, social media interaction, political, etc.)
- What negatives often happen during confrontations? (Answers will vary, but may include: fighting, yelling, discussing, whining, sassing, cursing, even physical altercations.)
- Are these types of confrontations generally productive or not? Why? (Neither side is really listening or working toward resolution.)
Confrontations are inevitable. Just like with the dog’s biting issue, ignoring a problem and letting it fester isn’t the answer. But how we handle the situation is key. The Bible has some specific guidelines—let’s find out what it says!
