Woody & the Leaf
The small moments that carry meaning
As the year gradually draws to a close and a new one is around the corner, it’s a time for reflection. All those dogs I am fortunate enough to learn from. But this time of year in particular I often think about the dogs who were adopted and given a second (or third) chance in life. Often they are not socialised and certainly have little training. And for some, just the experience of being outside beyond the confines of where they once lived is a new experience. This opportunity, to just experience, and to do this together with them, is a privilege for us. They are special moments. And it reminds me of one I had with years ago with my dog when he was a puppy, and it stayed with me ever since. I will call it Woody and the Leaf.
What brought me full circle to remembering Woody & the Leaf were some of the heart-warming tales of those adopted dogs I worked with this year – though often with heart-breaking beginnings. There was a little mutt who was kept in a crate in an outbuilding without any electricity. So when it was dark and cold….it was dark and cold. He was saved. And the fact that this little chap now celebrates life every day in his new home is a testament not only to the kindness of his human adopters, but also to this fella’s amazing will to survive. And the will to love and be loved. He’s taken to the training too! Sure, some things are going to take a long time, but even if time stood still now, what a happy ending.
Then there was the dog who was a forced breeding ‘machine’ and, as far as we could tell, never, ever, let outside the boundaries of her previous ‘home’. With her rescue came some needed medical care, but now she is okay. More than okay. She is safe and happy. And revelling in life with her new human mum. My training always adapts to these dogs’ histories. We don’t ask for a Sit with her, because of physical issues. As long as she is comfortable, we can still reward her for a good behaviour. She likes a treat! We’ll call her Sophie.
Every day brought a new experience for Sophie, and her new owner relished in this. Once she sent me a video of the first time (we think) Sophie saw a cat. They were in a stationary car at the time, with the cat sitting on a fence looking at them, and her owner captured on video the look of Sophie’s curiosity and wonder. We think! But actually it doesn’t matter what we think. It’s what we feel together. What we experience. On the video her owner started laughing, and Sophie barked once as if to join in.
You see, it’s about the small things. It was a small moment but one that carried huge meaning. Sophie was seeing something for the first time and processing it. We want to keep this being a positive experience, but a natural one too. We won’t want to try too hard. Just to experience the moment, and whatever that brings. Being together. Bonding. Sophie’s look of wonderment…
Of course with young puppies, we have a blank canvas with these moments – almost everything is new. Savour these moments. Do it together. But it can be with a dog of any age, and it doesn’t have to be something new. It’s just that moment when they process something that carries meaning for them. Your dog could be much older and even not seeing or hearing well: It can be about touch or smell too. That moment a warm towel goes around them to dry them off, or an especially riveting scent!
Even if a dog is scared of certain things and reactive, we can still enjoy looking at and processing things, as long as we are both together in our safe bubble, from far enough away. Or, yes, it can just be something they will have heard a thousand times before, but this one time their curiosity is piqued. When we’re training sometimes an owner will ask me what their dog is thinking at that moment. Often there isn’t an answer. “I don’t know” I might say, “but it’s nice just wondering, isn’t it?” Revel in the mystery.
These moments are a privilege for us, and are hard to convey in words and so it is with Woody & the Leaf, but I will try. He was a puppy and we were in the garden on an autumn day. I don’t know, probably waiting for that wee. Naturally, he was distracted with everything around him. It was very quiet but there was a breeze. Then suddenly something broke his concentration. It was a leaf falling from a tree. The breeze was perfectly swaying and buffeting it gently on its slow journey downwards. Woody was tilting his head and watching it. As it touched the ground, he still studied it. Then looked up at the sky. “I know”, I said.
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I would like to wish all my readers and friends a Happy Christmas and best wishes for the New Year!