Sometimes you've just gotta let the dog lead

The roads were snow packed and were suppose to turn icy sometime during the evening.  I was in a dilemma about who to walk and how many at a time.  My sciatica had been acting up all day and the pain was always less in the evening.  Back and forth with my decision, when I finally decided to walk Chance and Blaze, but separately.  I could use the reprieve on my back, but it meant two walks.

I hadn't completely given up on walking the Back Dog Trio, when Blaze and I started out, but I wasn't sold on the idea either.

The evening was misty, foggy and glowed in white between the overcast sky and the snow on the ground.  The soft white brightened the walk and gave a warm and cozy feeling.

Blaze set a quick pace, just enough for me to keep up with her without totally losing my breath.  There was a difference in her tonight, she was relaxed and comfortable and for once we didn't feel at odds with each other.  She didn't pull or tug or dart but kept her path forward.  With each step I was letting go of the day's worries and letting Blaze lead the way.

She walked with confidence without being dominant or demanding as we went this way than that.  When we met our turnaround spot, Blaze gently led me forward.  She wanted this time with me and our special walk together.  So we carried on along the path, just her and I in a quiet, peaceful manner.  Enjoying every step that didn't lead to pain radiating down my arm that held the leash to my lower back.  This was wonderful!

Somewhere half way through I realized the Back Dogs were going to have to wait until tomorrow for their walks.  This was too precious to give up.  I wish I really had the words to describe it.  With Blaze, I have always been intimidated by her wit and smarts.  So I have always went into many walks with her trying to outwit and control her.  It has only lead to her painfully pulling me every which way, especially in the winter time when she has that Husky energy.  The battle of wits leaves me exhausted, frustrated and in severe pain.  Tonight I just went with her.  Followed her. And she proved her trust and maturity, as well as love.  This isn't the first time this has happened.  There have been a handful of other times we have walked with her in the lead, but this was the first time that she didn't try to take advantage of it and that was truly heartfelt.  Blaze spoke of her trust loud and clear.  If I let her, she will guide me.

The power of this evening's walk was tested a bit as we got closer to home and Blaze tugged me the opposite direction.  She wasn't ready for the walk to end and I obliged her.  We walked a little ways downtown, then turned around to come home and that seemed to prove I was listening and heard her.  Such simple blessings.

Maybe if I don't lead with so much fear when it comes to Blaze, we will have more walks like this.  I know we can walk further this way, which I would really love.  I was so amazed by the definition she gave me of herself, that I was truly blown away at how much she took care of me on the walk.  Peace, understanding and simple unconditional love.  All a girl could really want.  Especially when it goes both ways.

Aren't dogs beautiful?

fear, trust, passion

Sometimes it is better not to know what you are getting into

                          or have any idea what to do

               Sometimes trusting your gut and heart

                                   can be wrenching

         when everyone thinks you're crazy,

                                                 including yourself

                   Sometimes the very thing we fear

                                              is the only true thing to hang onto

                It is the very notion of limitations
                                             That breaks the chains

Trust is a three way street

                     What almost killed us

                                 runs a rampant passion of love

                                                 and hate

Sometimes the very thing that rips apart our souls

Has the only power to heal it.

Letting Go

It isn't always easy to turn the reins over to your dog.  Though I have done it several times,(here), contrary to how it may seem, I don't let go very easy.  It takes some convincing, especially when I am having an inner conflict with my emotions and feelings that I am trying to keep at bay.  It is hard enough for me to trust as it is, but giving a canine full control can be scary.  I always question whether I am reading the dog's signals right or if my emotional state has compromised my judgement.  I flounder with the idea because, whether I let go or not, I am still responsible for my dog and have a fear of not regaining control when I need to.

What may feel like a giving up of control is actually a trust exercise of being lead by my dog as we work through this together.

The first thing I noticed when I started walking Chance was that he was in "drive or pull" mode.  Dead on.  Straight forward.  He wasn't lunging or veering just intent on moving forward.  My walk wasn't quick enough for him and I felt him urge me on, but I held back.  We squabbled a bit.  I just couldn't let go of what I was holding so close to my heart.  I was scared to trust at that moment.  And while it had little to do with Chance, who has never let me down, the fear was strong.  He gently pulled, I began to jog, hoping to satisfy his need.   To my surprise he challenged my pace.  All the while encouraging me to do what I thought I could not.  As I felt my trust seep through the leash into his paws, my speed increased and I felt the trust returned. He matched my pace.  We continued to build on that foundation until the next thing I knew we were both running.  Legs flying, the pressure in my chest broke as the giggles burst through only to be greeted with Chance's crazy, wide grin glancing back.  When I thought my lungs would burst, I slowed him down. 

And we did it again and again riding on the freedom of our spirits.

I gave my trust.  Chance nurtured me through.  My pace became his pace.  Bit by bit.  He understood what I needed.  He guided with love.  I gave my faith that he would show me.


And as a trusting friend, Chance helped me do what I could not do on my own, Let Go.   




 

The Boy and the White Dog

The big white dog took his stance, announced his turf and looked around wondering who would challenge him.  A young boy came from behind the line of trees to the open corner of the fence and the white dog met him with a simple warning bark. “ GO AWAY!”  The boy did not flinch or scream nor jump or run, he simply backed up slowly and walked away.  

The boy watched the white dog with curiosity, questions posed deep in his mind, with the determination to try again.  The white dog had settled down as the boy carefully snuck behind the trees, giving it one last go to earn this dog’s trust.  Again the white dog slide into the corner and was stopped before he could bark.  The boy took to the trees as the white dog claimed his victory.  

As I watched this interaction with pure fascination, I was completely entranced with this dance between a tough playing dog and a brave boy and was humbly brought to tears.  For three years I have seen the aftermath of the cruelty that children have done to this white dog and all it took was one to approach with simple love to make me believe again.  

To the little boy, who tried with the determination and heart to get close a child-fearing dog, you gave a narrow minded woman a new found hope and opened her eyes to the possibilities.

Thank you for believing.  Your courage and love will not be forgotten.

Chance Therapy 101

 Have you ever let your dog take the reins and let him guide you?

I had a  unique experience with Chance and an anxiety attack that had occurred just before I was ready to take him for a walk.  I had almost talked myself out of it because a walk meant facing a few extra fears and I hadn't begun to calm down from my previous one.  A post written by the House of Carnivores has been ringing through my head ever since I read it about her experience with horses and that no matter how weak or scared you feel when thrown, you get back on that horse.  So I bit the bullet and took Chance.

So as Chance and I headed through the wooded trail, my anxiety was growing more with every fast pace step we took.  When we reached the end of the trail at the opening of the field, Chance pulled and I stopped.  He sat quietly while I held my fluttering stomach and tried to concentrate on my breathing, the wind and sky.  Chance looked at me every so often and then would turn his head.  The roles had suddenly reversed.  He was patiently waiting for me to calm down and was helping me to do it before moving on.  As I gained some composure our gaze met and held and with my own words Chance asked, "Are you ready?"

I was OK, but still shaky as we headed out onto the field.  Chance was pulling in every crazy direction possible and that's when I realized this wasn't my show anymore and I surrendered to him.  We started jogging around the outside of the track, then the pace picked up until we were both running.  I mean RUNNING!  Ya know so fast your feet feel like they are going to fly out from under you.  After the first stretch I had to slow him down, I was laughing so hard and his game had worked. Speed burnt off that extra anxiety!  It was great!

We did a couple more short burst, then cruised up the hill and back down all at top speed and all the while laughing so hard I could barely catch my breath.  This was the Chance I had started running with before we started leash training and he was in his glory, but it was more than that, he knew what we needed and he flourished in the trust I gave him.

When the scent of a rabbit was more than he could handle it was time to take the reins back and at that point he was willing to give up the control.  What an awesome experience to be able to share!  My anxiety was long gone and I had let go to experience the trust in this relationship that had been built.  I couldn't believe when that little stinker was waiting for ME to calm down, something  I have done for him many times before.  How do you even begin to explain the depths of a relationship like that?  Talk about being touched.  Tears and a smile come to my face when I think of that moment.  And when we ran...he lead, I followed.  It was that simple and miraculous at the same time. 

And the only way to sum it up...that's my boy, Chance.  :)   

It Is Blaze's Turn!

When I started working with Chance on his leash training, I had Blaze in my thoughts all along to train her as well.  Blaze is cut from a completely different cloth than Chance.  Chance is a worker, very task oriented and is more stable minded than Blaze.  Blaze is higher strung, has a shorter attention span and is smart as a whip.  You can almost hear the gears winding in her head as she does everything in her power to outsmart me.  She gets bored easy and will often just do as she pleases.  We tend to have a bit more clashing between the two of us than I do with Chance.  Must be a female to female thing and that we are more alike than not.

I have done a couple of trial runs of leash training in the yard to get a feel of what I need to do differently with her in order to create success.  I've come to the conclusion that I need to use a no-pull halter for a while in order to help.  I would prefer not to use one, but Blaze's drive, being that she's in training for pulling sleds, is powerful.  Between her strength and wits she has more of an advantage than I do to get her attention and this is where the no-pull halter comes in.

I have used the no-pull head halters in the past and have gotten good results, the problem is I didn't really train her properly when using the tool.  I was under the impression that the tool did all the work and that I would just walk her while she wore it.  Although I didn't use the head halter with Chance, I got practice in teaching him commands and using consistency with him, that I feel I will help in my success with Blaze while she is using the head halter.  I am deeming Blaze my summer project.  I have already started the process with getting her used to the head halter, little by little.  I am taking my time and not rushing into it like I did before by just putting the halter on and taking her for a walk.  I'm am doing what I don't like to do, having to follow instructions and I'm already seeing results!  Imagine that!  :)

My confidence is up, thanks to the amazing strides that Chance has taken and my willingness not to give in.  My relationship with Blaze has improve immensely as recently our bond has grown deeper.  I have been training Blaze in other areas that have also taken our respect for each other to a stronger level and I am feeling rather hopeful in our success during this period of our lives.  Sometimes that's all it takes for a great accomplishment, is the right timing and this time I think Blaze and I have it!

I'll be posting our successes and challenges so please feel free to follow along!

Brut Trust

Look at this perfect pose!

FOCUS, MOM, FOCUS!!

Brut and I have this incredible bond.  Daddy says it is because we are so much alike! Our strongest bonding time is during our solitude walks.  We'd both been lacking in them because I wasn't feeling well last week and we were both getting rather grouchy about it.  :)

So today we took off for our favorite park.  Brut was full of pent up energy and frustration and I planned for that.  I threw on his harness and grabbed a piece of firewood for him to pull.  The wood weighed seven pounds.  It worked out perfect for him to pull.  It was enough to slow him down, but not so much that it is a strain.

You really can't expect TWO perfect poses!

 

We went around the park once without the wood then circled back so I could hook him to it.  He definitely needed the extra weight and I needed a steady pace!  We took the very back trails that are usually empty as the front trails had a visitor with their dog.  As soon as we were alone in the woods, we fell in sync with each other.  Literally and spiritually.  Brut's anxious eyes began to calm with mine.  There was an overall sense of content and connection, like we were the only two beings on Earth.  There was little said vocally, but our communication was immense. 

I have found through many walks by following Brut's body language to know what is going on around me.  This is key for knowing if there is something ahead.  It is also how we unify through the leash.  We were in harmony with each other and became one being with a fluid movement.  All of our anxieties melted into the forest ground.  We were in tune with each other.  This trust would be significant when we came to our fork in the road.

The Chosen Path

Brut and I are at our best when we are alone.  Remember I mention another visitor with their dog?  I know the trails inside and outside.  So does Brut.  We had a choice to make: take trail A which heads straight through the park and the front paths, with the possibility of running into the dog or take trail B that leads around the park thus avoiding the possibility.  So I asked Brut and he lead me down trail A.  A little ways down the trail, I was getting worried, I didn't want to run into the other dog.  I told Brut we needed to turn around.  He insisted continuing on.  I gave in to the trust and all knowing.  We have made these decisions before together.  There are times he needs to trust me and there are times when I need to trust him.  I chose to believe, so I followed him.

We hiked the rest of the trail and when we came to the end, we found the visitors were gone.  It was an incredible feeling.  To be able to let go and let him take the lead.  That's how in tune we were.  If he would have sensed something and his demeanor changed, I would have turned around, but we stayed in complete sync and balance with each other.  Our walk was like a cleansing of our souls while we listened to each other with our hearts.  Each synchronizing with other.  We were at peace as we aliened.  It is a spiritual high that will carry me for a long time.  It isn't the first, it won't be the last and that is the beauty of it.