New Lessons From a Dog

Monday, 17 November 2008

It's been almost 4 months now since I got Spock and I'm amazed how much having a dog changes one's life. I can tell I'm less stressed, less lonely, and worry less about things that really don't matter much in the grand scheme of things. Funny how such a litte package comes with such big benefits.

However, I'm facing my first real challenge with continuing to train him. I've always been something of a bossy control freak but it wasn't until the last couple weeks that I learned how much of one I am. There's a fine line between being a 'Nag' and being a 'Leader'... and at some point in the last month I must have stepped over that boundary.

Getting into Trouble

(Getting into trouble, and definitely ignoring my command "Stop".)

Essentially, Spock has stopped responding to the name "Spock." It wasn't until I noticed him running away from me instead of coming when called him that made me realize how negatively controlling I must have become over the last few months. Fortunately and by accident I called him Lumpy and he instantaneously responded well to it- I've been calling him Lumpy Spock ever since... moreso just Lumpy and less Spock this weekend and so far this week. The first day of doing so I taught him how to "shake hands" within 10 minutes whereas before hand training had come to a complete stand still.

Sure "Shake" isn't an essential or practical command, but it's one of those commands that expands their human language vocabulary and gives them a little ego pick-me-up when he does it correctly and receives a yummy treat.

Furthermore, I now avoid using the command "Come" because I realized, before, everytime I said "come" it was to take him away from his next door doggy friends, or to tell him not to eat bunny crap in the yard, or to stop him from rolling in whatever it is dogs insist in rolling in 15 minutes after a bath. It's no wonder then that Spock developed selective hearing and stopped responding to the command and his name altogether. Besides, no one wants to spend much time with a hyper-critical, stick in the mud party pooper. So now I play the "Where's the puppy?" game, and when he appears in front of me after I ask "Where's the puppy?" while pretending I can't see him doing whatever it is I dont' want him to, I then give him a treat and a good pat. It's so far working magically. Course, it also helps when the temperature is freezing and it's snowing and sleeting out... it's just not pleasant to be outside very long. Thank-you Mother Nature.

So Spock is now Lumpy and he impresses the crowds with his ability to Sit, Lay Down, Roll Over, and Shake Hands... however sometimes I have to vary the order of the commands so he doesn't just do them because he knows the "routine" to get the treat. I realized this problem when I told him to "sit" and he had already gotten to Shake Hands after sitting, laying down, and rolling over.

But among the useful commands, he now knows Walk With Me, Run With Me, Heel, Stop, Car (which means to stop and sit in the grass on the side of the road until the car passes), Mail (which means to sit and wait on the front stoop until I return from the mailbox), Kisses (which I use when he starts playing too roughly with me or another dog), Do You Want to Play? (which I ask with an outstretched hand, and he goes and fetches his toy of choice out of this toy chest and puts it in my hand for me to toss or play tug of war with), Are You Ready For Work? (which I ask as I get my coffee, he sits at the door until I'm ready and then we go to work together), Car Ride? (which means he's to sit at the passenger side door until I open it and let him in), Quiet, Hungry?, Thirsty?, Go Potty?, Up? (The affirmative answer for any of these is for him to sit and wait patiently), and I'll Be Back (which means to get into bed and take a nap until I get home again, which he invariably does according to those who stay with him while I'm away-- he refuses to leave his bed until I return).

So he does know quite a few useful practical things.... he's incredibly smart and has a very big human vocabulary list for an 8 month old puppy. But knowing commands also comes with high expectations for a dog to consistently respond to them correctly... and sometimes an 8 month old puppy just doesn't want to follow commands all the time. I've learned the valuable lesson that I must let him just have fun and let him be a puppy sometimes.

He's been responding well to the new name and my awareness of his newly developed selective hearing but I can't help but keep thinking, How typically male. Overall though, he's the greatest puppy a person could hope for and my life's been so blessed since he arrived.

Everyday I wake up feeling grateful now, and what a refreshing change that is.

Spock/Lumpy