Of course we love our dogs 24/7, but we’re not always swollen with pride over them. Seeing our beloved companions snack on some cat poop, or (I think it’s worse somehow), their own poop, can bring us down to earth again, but for a moment, let’s celebrate the stuff that makes dog-ownership such a gratifying experience.
Two training accomplishments above all others are the most pleasurable for me—and thus the most important for me to work on with my dogs: a tack-sharp recall and the ability to walk on leash without pulling. These are the two skills I practice—and highly reinforce—the most frequently. Truly, I do almost no other training with them, unless I need to teach them to do something to illustrate an article in WDJ!
We practice recalls daily. Some are just for practice, though I look for real-life opportunities to call them away from distractions such as squirrels, utility workers (such as meter readers or people delivering packages). But other opportunities are genuine, such as when I call them away from barking at someone who is walking by our (fully fenced) rural property, or, on an off-leash walk, calling them back to me immediately after they’ve spotted a deer or jackrabbit on the trail ahead.
One of the most beautiful moments in my dog-owning lifetime happened recently, and as a direct result of all of our practicing. I was on an off-leash walk with two other people and three other dogs, and my dogs went over the riverbank we were walking near to get a drink of water. Suddenly, Boone, my younger dog, came bounding up the embankment, bouncing like a kangaroo and looking very aroused. I ran a few steps to the edge of the embankment and looked for Woody.
I was very surprised to spot two figures swimming downstream in the river: In the lead was a large male deer with a big rack of antlers, and about 10 feet behind him, Woody. They were both swimming strongly, and the current of the river, swollen by California’s generous winter rains, was taking them downstream at quite a clip! My companions both shrieked, “Oh my god! Nancy! Woody!” I shouted at them to SHUSH! so Woody could hear me, and then yelled, “WOODY, OFF! HERE!” To my friends’ amazement, and my absolute delight and relief, Woody immediately made a graceful U-turn in the water and swam for shore (the deer kept swimming and we saw that he was going to make the far shore easily). Upon reaching shore, he shook off and bounded back up the embankment, seemingly full of pride and happiness at having flushed the deer into the river. I know had tears of pride and happiness in my eyes about his recall! That was one of those instances where I dumped the entire contents of my bait bag into my hands and let him have ALL the treats.
Much less dramatic, but nearly as pleasurable: Walking with my dogs on a loose leash. I am fine with them walking ahead of me, as long as they are not pulling, and they are fantastic at this skill. My sister who lives far away from me was visiting this week, and she’s not a huge dog-lover, but even she noticed and complimented me on how easy it was to take a walk with me and my dogs. She said, “I have some friends who spend the whole walk yelling at or struggling with their dogs, and I don’t enjoy walking with them, because they won’t go without their dogs and their dogs are not fun!”
Here’s another moment that fills me with pleasure: When Woody is allowed to greet babies or small children. He is a giant softy, drawn to the small and unsteady. If a parent is game, and their children are reaching for him, I allow him to greet them how he likes to, by licking them in the face or on their sticky hands. His tail is always wagging, his body loose, his eyes soft; he just loves children, even if they shriek at his tongue or grab at his face. Not every parent trusts a big, big-headed dog making right for their baby’s face, it takes some courage and trust in me as his handler, but I know I can count on his consistently kind, gentle response. If I see that a child looks apprehensive, I can ask him to sit still and let them approach him, but his tongue will start licking the air before they even reach him. (However, he can and will restrain himself from licking them if I insist.)
What are your favorite moments with or watching your dogs?
