It’s such a blessing to walk with my older dog. Like old friends, we can relax with one another in a way that is based on many miles logged together.
Today was no exception. After Tucker and I got into the woods, it became a ‘sniff walk’ for him. I think it’s Turid Rugaas who talks about giving dogs the opportunity to ‘sniff’ as a way to dissipate stress and use up excess doggy energy.
I think that we stopped at every vertical surface in the woods. Some were more carefully inspected than others but all received at least a cursory sniff. It was so relaxing to stand next to my dog. While his nose entertained him my eyes took in the silver branches against the bright blue sky.
Who ever thought I’d have this delightful experience with my reactive Aussie?
One of my biggest lessons with Tucker has been to allow him to relax. He’s a real home-body; who knew a dog could be an introvert? When I stopped pushing him to be an agility dog and just let him be, our lives changed and we began to enjoy each other. Letting him relax changed our lives. We became friends.
You’ll notice that I’m not trying to be the pack leader in this moment. Oh, I know ‘how’ and I can be that leader when that’s the role I need to take; but, at this moment, our relationship is based on pure shared experience built on time and mutual respect. Learning to listen to my dog was so hard for me. I thought that he should be who I wanted. His gift to me has been learning what a delight he is when I get my expectations out of the way and, as a result, what a delight our lives can be together.
As I walk away from the gifts and learnings of 2007 I want to remember that I don’t always have to be in control. I want to remember Tucker’s gift – when I can choose to let go of my expectations there’s a world of wonder out there.
