Anyone who knows me knows I have a dog named Missy. She is, without question, one of my favorite creatures on the planet. I adopted her from the shelter when she was approximately 3 months old. This April we celebrated her 5 birthday. I hadn’t had a dog since my youth so when I adopted her I was starting over as a caregiver to a dog. Initially, I thought there would be much I needed to teach her. Much to my surprise and delight, she, and puppy class, have taught me so much more than I have taught her. The experience has been enriching on so many levels. To feel unconditional love on a daily basis is the absolute best. Perhaps I’ll visit Missy lessons in future blogs. Today, I will focus on just one.
Missy’s favorite dog trainer taught me how to help Missy leave it. It didn’t matter what “it” was but upon hearing that command she was to pay no attention to “it”. When she barks at another dog or finds abandoned food on the ground, Missy works on leaving it alone. One day, Missy had a particularly aggressive altercation with a dog on the other side of the fence. Leave it was said multiple times. When that didn’t work, rather than getting upset, asked her to sit and soothed her with a calm voice and gentle pets. She really had to work to distract her attention. (I am convinced she wanted the last word.) It was such a great perspective by which to observe a creature changing her behavior. She is getting better the more she has opportunities to practice. I know humans are not much different. Think of the last time you got emotional in a situation. It can be hard to detach and calm yourself. The quicker you can get at distracting yourself the easier it is to calm yourself. When you notice your emotions rising more than necessary or wanted, try to remove yourself from the situation and soothe yourself. Try also to think about something different. The more you practice the better you get at calming faster and not getting as elevated.