Just a little patience
December 7, 2009 – 10:05 pmTo say that adopting a dog has changed my life would be an understatement. It’s a daily lesson in patience as well as frustration. Add in that my dog is senior, deaf, and has a history that is somewhat of a mystery, it makes for an interesting time.
Lately, we’ve been working with a trainer, Grayson, about whom I can’t say enough good things. Between our first session and our second, Wilson decided to regress. Not regress a little, but regress to the point where I wondered what the hell I’d signed up for.
Wilson went from hating his crate to loving it like a 15-year-old loves their bedroom and wants everyone to stay out. As I told Grayson yesterday, it was as if he was in his own self-imposed shelter, which made me sad.
So, for our second training session, we worked on the basics of getting him out of the crate. It took Grayson about 30 minutes and lots of treats, but he finally emerged and ready for more treats.
Now, for the real challenge…could I repeat what she did? Amazingly, the answer is yes. It took a long time, but Wilson emerged from his crate with the help of kibble, peanut butter treats, and the pièce de résistance, a chewy bone. He loves his chewy bone treats. The promise of the chewy bone allowed me to guide him to his dog bed, where he’s been resting for the past few hours.
Sure, this is just one day, but I’m hoping to line up a lot of “one days” in a row. It will take time, but dammit, he’s got me by the heartstrings.
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