The one dog (it is the blonde one, this time I am sure) gives off a “I thought I was really important to you” quip from the laundry room, where they have been put up for a morning chill. The laundry is running and it is officially 9:15 (an “anchor time” as I refer to it in my puppy training).
Blonde Dog quipping from the laundry room and now seemingly trying to rouse his sweet obedient sister into wrestling (I hear her obliging), has clearly forgotten how important he has been to me all morning: the long walk through old webster where I let them leisurely sniff all the way home, the gobs of peanut butter on the tip of his nose, the relaxed pets in the sun on his blanket.
It’s time for me to get a little bit serious about my creative day as all the morning chores are done and my last cup of coffee begs for my attention, next to the mouse.
I take a lot of pride in the puppy training I undertook when adopting these two littermates. The internet was such a scary place for me in those early weeks of learning about littermate syndrome, what you want from two dogs who have been raised from scratch together (without any adult dog to model for them, to boot). Thank you to local Watering Bowl and to my friends who tirelessly told me “if anybody can do it, it is you”; I have grown to live out what I thought was true originally:
That to trust yourself initially is to trust yourself all the same at the crux.
“To Trust Yourself Initially, is to Trust Yourself all the same at the Crux.”
Me, today.
In a way, it reminds me a lot of rock climbing, jumping into a pool or riding a rollercoaster: once you have stepped into the experience, you have to come out. Rock Climbing is a little bit different because you are at your own mercy. Which makes it less like the inevitable truth of going underwater when jumping into a pool or going upside down or whatever riding the whole of the rollercoaster means. Surely you knew what you were getting onto or into.
With training the dogs, I am at my own mercy. The things I think are important are what is important. The things I think are ok, are ok. And the things that I am not okay with (either on behalf of myself or others…) are what is not okay.
Matter of fact, the hardest part about training two puppies is not training them – but disseminating the commands, expectations and allowed behavior to the 5 kids. Letting them interpret and explore their own independent voice with the dogs is as important as bridging what the dogs have learned and like. But, anyway, maybe more on that later.
The kids are all off with grandparents for the final weeks of July. I have two weeks (starting…. now) to get some organization in the creative zone and layout some anchors to my digital life. I had quite a bit of traffic to the ole blog site yesterday but not a clear path how that worked, how you got there. But for those newly following or that liked either of my last two posts; thank you. I am writing today partly because of it.
Aaaaaaand partly because apparently discipline and consistency are keys to success. (And, coincidentally, to puppy training)
On that note, the scene here draws to an end and I need to shut the dog up who played with his sister, wore out and just wants to know that I am still in the house. This is my current training dilemna.
And just like that – the Google in the kitchen goes off and gives me an excuse to go in there, let them see me and shut up per expectation. :)
Like if you do, share if you like. :) erin
Frozen Spaghetti 