Definition

In the context of Play+, "Creative Disengagement" refers to a deliberate withdrawal or pause in activity or interaction, initiated to foster novel perspectives, refresh mental energy, or recalibrate goals. This is especially useful in the world of dog training where sustained engagement can sometimes lead to diminishing returns, habituation, or even stress.

Components of Creative Disengagement

1. Strategic Withdrawal: An intentional step back from the current situation or task, enabling both the trainer and the dog to reassess and renew their focus and energy.
2. Mental Reinvigoration: Pauses provide an opportunity to tap into the Mental Pole, where creative expectant impulses can be born or nurtured.
3. Resetting Goals: Aligning with the principles of Flow Theory, disengagement allows for the reassessment and possible reconfiguration of achievement-based goals.
4. Opportunity for Aporia: A state of puzzlement or questioning can be activated during disengagement, inviting the Mental Pole to engage more robustly.
5. Affordance Reevaluation: A break can serve as a window to reconsider the existing action capacities and skills, optimizing the engagement strategies moving forward.

Application in Dog Training

In the high-intensity, often challenging world of working dogs and sport dogs, Creative Disengagement could manifest as a planned break in training, a switch in activities, or even just a simple change in environment. The key is to utilize this disengagement period as an active rather than passive process, an opportunity for both the trainer and the dog to recharge and reorient.

Philosophical Underpinning

Creative Disengagement is not merely an "off-switch" but an active part of the cyclical concrescence process. By disengaging, you’re actually fueling the mental and physical poles, and in turn, the entire Play+ philosophy. This serves as a "reboot" that enriches the entire interactive process.

Thus, Creative Disengagement is both a tactical and philosophical tool within the Play+ framework, enabling dynamic shifts between engagement and non-engagement that serve the overall training and experiential goals.