Mom had a big experiment. She planned to get me learn many lessons in life. She used our family dog to teach me all those lessons.
My mother suddenly said, "Do you know that your dog needs your help? She needs you to make her happy." My mother asked me what things make me happy. Was it being part of the family and doing things with mom and dad? Yes. "We'll try that on Buddy. Let's let her help us and see how we make her feel."
Mom suggested that Buddy help us take out the garbage. She put a little garbage in a small bag. I gave it to Buddy and said, "Carry." My dog sniffed it, and then picked it up and started down the long apartment hallway.
That small bag changed my dog. He was no longer a shambling wad of fur, but a sleek wolf. Lazy muscles tensed, his nose stuck up in the air. He tried to walk with us but his walk slipped into a prance, then a gallop, till all we had was a bouncing back view with a tail wagging above. Buddy became a part of something and learned to enjoy it, while teaching me something in the process.
There was one time that I remembered Buddy being so happy with his task that he had a total of 4 small plastic bags being brought into the main garbage outside. It was such an overwhelming experience to the dog and to us of course!
I learned to be diligent because of Buddy
My dog's willingness to learn new house chores after we taught him the 'carry that plastic bag into the garbage bin task' became unstoppable. Of course, as a human I became challenged to learn more skills and became more involved in helping out my parents. This, in turn made my parents happier too.
Lessons like this went on for 17 years - till I was a junior in high school. That year Buddy died. The next year I graduated and left home. But some of the attitudes I have today can be traced back to my childhood relationship with a dog and my mother's awareness of that potential.
My mother suddenly said, "Do you know that your dog needs your help? She needs you to make her happy." My mother asked me what things make me happy. Was it being part of the family and doing things with mom and dad? Yes. "We'll try that on Buddy. Let's let her help us and see how we make her feel."
Mom suggested that Buddy help us take out the garbage. She put a little garbage in a small bag. I gave it to Buddy and said, "Carry." My dog sniffed it, and then picked it up and started down the long apartment hallway.
That small bag changed my dog. He was no longer a shambling wad of fur, but a sleek wolf. Lazy muscles tensed, his nose stuck up in the air. He tried to walk with us but his walk slipped into a prance, then a gallop, till all we had was a bouncing back view with a tail wagging above. Buddy became a part of something and learned to enjoy it, while teaching me something in the process.
There was one time that I remembered Buddy being so happy with his task that he had a total of 4 small plastic bags being brought into the main garbage outside. It was such an overwhelming experience to the dog and to us of course!
I learned to be diligent because of Buddy
My dog's willingness to learn new house chores after we taught him the 'carry that plastic bag into the garbage bin task' became unstoppable. Of course, as a human I became challenged to learn more skills and became more involved in helping out my parents. This, in turn made my parents happier too.
Lessons like this went on for 17 years - till I was a junior in high school. That year Buddy died. The next year I graduated and left home. But some of the attitudes I have today can be traced back to my childhood relationship with a dog and my mother's awareness of that potential.
About the Author:
Have a visit in Ed Randall's site to learn more about dog training leash, he has helped hundreds of dog owners train their dogs and his awesome obedience dog training will surely make your friends wonder how you taught your dog.
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