PATIENCE: Count to TEN

"Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character."   ~Heraclitus~

Some folk call poodles "stubborn." Stubborn meaning "unyielding," "inflexible," "contrary". These labels imply a thought process of which I do not believe dogs capable. That is not to say dogs are incapable of thought processes! Rather, it is to say that a dog does not stop in the moment, consider what his human wants, and then decide, "no - I'd rather not." However, a dog's natural behavior in response to a situation may appear to be stubbornness.  

For example, my Labradoodle, as a pup and young dog, when confronted with a request, cue or situation he absolutely did not know how to handle, would "freeze up." At first, I was confounded by the behavior and did not know how to react to it. As we worked together and grew in understanding - as his tasks became more complicated - the freezing continued to reoccur.

I love dogs as teachers and via this "freezing behavior" Yanqui taught me the truth about patience. 

Yanqui, the Doodle Dandy

When a dog repeats a behavior that is unwanted, when the hows and whys of responding to, extinguishing, redirecting or rewarding the behavior remain outside the handler's grasp, PATIENCE is always the right approach, the right technique and the right tool.

If the handler is put off balance by the dog, it is important to slow down, remaining positive and objective in order to facilitate communication with the dog. In time, it became apparent that Yanqui is hyper-sensitive, soft and extremely intuitive about the handler's mental state.  So when he froze, I decided to do what my mother always said to do: Count to ten. 

Having taken time to observe the dog and release my expectations, I now became interested in what was actually taking place in front of me rather than indulging feelings of frustration. Knowing that by mentally counting I could release tension, and that the dog would realize I was in a relaxed state, the next time Yanqui froze, I began: one-and-one-thousand, two-and-one-thousand. By the time I reached "30" (seconds), Yanqui had altered his demeanor, unfrozen himself and was once again responsive and in the game.

Since that moment - those first amazing 30 seconds - Yanqui has taught me much. I realized that the rigidity of the "freeze" was a natural phenomenon, having nothing to do with "stubbornness". Yanqui's freezing is most likely an expression related to his genetics where hunting dogs "honor a point"(1) or are seen "backing the flush"(2) of another dog. 

I am the Big Dog in Yanqui's life, so when he doesn't know what to do, or feels pressured, he simply "honors the point."

Next, in repeating the "count to 10" approach throughout Yanqui's training (which, of course, continues as a process to this day), I learned that he seldom takes longer than 30 seconds to give  what is asked for. If he does take longer, this is simple information: either he feels very uncomfortable about what he is being asked to do (e.g., put on a new piece of equipment); or he is truly clueless. This knowledge gave me access to understanding my own accountability: I was capable of rushing him because he is so intelligent; I could give him a happy Release cue, which allows him the option of starting over. 

In my youth, my mother tried to explain the virtue of patience many times, but - with the wisdom of youth - I presumed she did not understand the power of one's passions. Now I understand that patience is not a lack of passion but a sign of the developed mind, which understands that time is relative, and that the journey is more important than the goal, if only because the goal itself is always changing in response to the journey!

We all know that coming home to poop or vomit, getting bowled over by a running dog, being jumped on by dirty paws, and having a dog ignore a recall requires our patience and a good thought because, hey, it just ain't fun!  However, the dog is, and always must be, the DOG. He cannot be held responsible for cars in the street, or children pulling his ears or thrusting candy in his face, for weird people that want to grab him. All the handler can do is understand what a dog-animal is, and what the life of this domesticated animal will include, then teach him to be comfortable and cooperative inside that life. 

SO, when in doubt, Count to ten, baby, just like Mama taught you. 

(1) ON POINTING, by Linda Fiorella (www.vetstreet.com)

"[in} the act of pointing, a dog becomes motionless with his snout toward an object...[this] is normally associated with dogs who are bred and trained for hunting. Hundreds of years ago, the first of these dogs were bred in Europe to sniff out birds and then “freeze.” Holding the pointing position told hunters where to throw their nets and capture the prey. Because most dogs chase birds, a dog with the ability to stop in the presence of a partridge still proves invaluable to hunters today. But hunting breeds aren’t the only ones who will point, so don’t be surprised if you see this behavior in your pup.

(2) HONORING A POINT by Dave Walker (www.gundogsonline.com)

"When one dog sees another dog or dogs on point, he must stop and look like he's on point, but actually he is recognizing the [other] dog on point. This situation is called backing or honoring. The term "backing" suggests the second dog is confirming the first dog's point...[although] "honoring" is less confusing and more descriptive of the act. A dog can honor another dog from any position, not just in back of the pointing dog. Honoring is important in both hunting and field trailing because dogs should not interfere with others on point."