For
quite a long time, I’ve had this thought. Kind of a desire, really.
The foundation of it is simple enough. I wish that I had five
minutes to talk to a new puppy.
I
was reminded of this yesterday by the hole in the backyard. Several
of them. All begun because, apparently, the first attempt at digging
resulted in the discovery of a rock. So, while I said hole in
back yard, I should have said holes. Plural. Multiple. Multiple
holes in my back yard. (And yes, multiple rocks.)
I
took a deep breath, disposed of the rock, and thought again about
my wish of five minutes to talk to a new puppy. Lay out some understandings
so we both understand what’s going on.
Over
time, my puppies and I have developed ways of communicating. Sit
and wait and down and leave it usually work, although they often
take a second or third request. I recognize when treats are being
sought and bedtime has been declared. We’ve got some of the basics,
and all of my puppies have had slight variations in their personalities.
Likely not much different than your experiences.
What
I’d like to have, however, is a bit of time to establish a few
ground rules. Set up something of a civilized understanding. A
way we can exchange some information at the very beginning to
make everything smoother for all of us.
Imagine
bringing a puppy home and taking them into the living room. Clock
starts. You have five minutes to explain how you’ll keep them
safe, feed them, spoil them with toys and more. You can cover
ground like not chewing books and magazines, not tearing apart
shoes and clothes, and staying in the yard. In return, you offer
naps on the couch and sleeping on the bed. Quick exchange. Rules
and expectations and more. They’d even get to tell you that they
love peanut butter and hate bananas. So, you get to set up some
guidance that saves your furniture, they get the snacks they want,
and no one steps on an abandoned banana slice.
But
it doesn’t work that way, does it?
Some
folks will tell you it can be that way. They’ll talk about training
and all of the latest tools and gimmicks. They’ll explain about
time and patience and consistency. All of it important, and all
of it helpful, and all of it the majority of us will ignore.
When
I say ignore, I don’t mean we don’t try. It’s mostly the consistency
over time.
Example?
Ok.
The
command “down” is, if you search over most training materials,
intended to indicate a position flat on the ground. If you want
the puppy to lie down, the command is down.
So,
what do most of us say when we’re sitting on the sofa and the
dog jumps in our lap? …when in the excitement of new arrivals,
the dog jumps up on our guests? We should be saying “off” and
yet we often say “down.”
Consistency.
Absentmindedly ruined, albeit with good intentions.
Extend
that into tree branches being paraded around the yard, shoes moving
from room to room, and beds being slept on even when no permission
has been granted. The endless quest for treats continues.
I’d
love the five minutes. And I’d explain more, but right now I need
to retrieve my slipper from a dog running laps around the living
room with her new prize.