Where The Master Goes, I Go

Today is my last day in charge of shiny Susy and my nephew Anthony while the parents fly home from Europe. The week has flown by and I had a lot of fun but it was busy! One of my self-appointed duties was to train Susy to walk on a slack leash. This was somewhat necessary since my shoulder joint ached after the first walk with her. She is young and exuberant. 

Like space, a dog abhors a vacuum. If there is a vacuum of leadership in any area of a dog's life, including walks, she will fill that void and take control. Unfortunately, a dog's idea of an ideal walk and a small, weak-armed human's idea are diametrically opposed. I have had "frozen shoulders" twice now, with nearly a year or more recovery each time. One was caused by a dog whose ideas of "slack leash" were non-existent. Something most dog owners don't know is that a dog doesn't WANT to be the pack leader and will willingly submit to a human who takes on that role. I learned this the hard way in my experience with Honeybun, a dying dog I found on the roadside and nursed back to health. I chronicle her story in my first, best-selling book, I'm Listening with A Broken Ear.

I'm Listening with A Broken Ear.

So I learned a good bit about dog training and becoming the alpha dog. The beauty of leash training is you do not have to get mad, or even speak. It is very simple, but you must do the necessary action EVERY single time for as long as it takes. Susy is smart and it took two days. She is now walking beautifully on a slack leash. If my brother doesn't keep up with what I have started, I may threaten not to be the wonderful nanny anymore while they hop all over the world. 

Here are videos of day two. I wish I had done a "before" video. Basically, picture a strong overly energetic dog racing full speed down the street with a small woman being dragged along and sparks flying from her sneakers trying to brake. Just click on the words below to see each video. The concept of this technique is simple. Every time the dog pulls (without fail) swing around in the opposite direction with purposeful strides. Go a few steps and swing around again. Change up the number of times you switch direction and the number of steps you take. You want to keep the dog guessing and keep her attention on you. The dog is ALWAYS on your left side, near your heel, and you hold the leash in your right hand with the left hand gripping it as well, so you can slide it up or down to adjust length. As you change direction, always turn right (keeping dog on left) and do it as often as needed. You will likely get dizzy, and feel foolish, and frustrated...at first. If you stick with it, the dog figures out she can NEVER cross in front of your path but must always stay to your left and she can never pull. I never had to scream, get upset, raise my voice, or even say a word. 

Video One:

Video Two

Video Three

Most dogs want to please, and Susy was no exception. As soon as she figured out that the goal was not to lose sight of my heel and keep her attention on which direction and speed I wanted to go, she was fantastic. And happy. She knew what I expected, and I was enjoying our walks without fear of amputation by leash or tripping over her weaving in front of my feet. Win/win for both of us.

When we passed people, I stepped on the leash so Susy did not have enough lead to be able to jump on people. NO ONE wants to be jumped on and it is not up to the passerbys to keep the dog off them...it is up to the master. Susy quickly figured out she couldn't jump and stopped trying. It took no strength from me to keep her paws on the ground since the leash was short and under my feet. Again, every one left the encounter happy.

This is not unlike our relationship with God. If we keep our eyes on Him, and move exactly as He moves, following Him wherever He wants to go, keeping our full attention and focus on His every change of direction, trusting Him He knows the best path....we BOTH move more happily in synch. 

When the Israelites spent forty years wandering in unknown territory, they learned to follow God's every move. He led them in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.When He stopped, they stopped. When He moved, they moved. Just like me and Susy.

In this manner, we have joy and energy to be in a wonderful communally satisfying  relationship. Each time I stopped, Susy stopped, giving me time to take many beautiful pictures of the foggy morning and the beautiful, obedient dog.

Numbers 9:15-23 

On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. So it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night. And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. At the command of the Lord the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the Lord they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not set out. ...