I once read this guide from the 1930’s on how to pick out a puppy.

You place the dog gently on its back and then hold it there lightly but firmly.

If it makes no effort to flip itself over it’s a chill/lazy dog who will have a mellow personality.

If it struggles to roll over for a bit and then acquiesces and relaxes this is a dog who will take instruction well and is very trainable.

If it won’t stop fighting you and keeps trying to roll over the whole time this is a high strung dog who will remain high strung. Will be hard to train and needs to be put to work in an active way.

According to ChatGPT this was known as the supine restraint test and it was rooted in dominance theory which is currently debunked.

But I’ve always found it useful as a metaphor.

Are you the dog who fights for a little bit and then gives up? Are you the dog who doesn’t fight? Or are you the dog who will keep fighting until you finally get what you want?