Sometimes, I forget just how far we've come with the dogs. I often take their hard work for granted, focusing more on their naughty or annoying behaviors rather than celebrating their successes. I get frustrated with the lack of forward progress, when in reality it's entirely my fault for not providing them with the time, attention, and direction they require. How can they ever know what's expected of them if nobody tells them what to do, or what's appropriate? How can they control themselves in an excitable situation if they've never had the chance to practice in a calm scenario first? I often curse (in my head) their wild barking at dogs passing by, only to berate myself for it afterwards. "Your dog isn't stupid, stupid. You just haven't been giving them the time to figure stuff out!"
Tonight I had my foot soaking in a bowl of essential oils, epsom salt, & water in order to draw out a splinter. Maggie walks up to sniff the bowl, and I'd rather not have her trying to drink that concoction. I give her a gentle "leave it" and she immediately turns away, opting to lie down by my feet instead.
Shortly after, Kira walks over to the window and starts to snortle/huff - a clear indication she sees something exciting and is about to react. Before she has the chance to lose her marbles, I ask her to "leave it" as well, and she immediately turns to me for an ear rub. Unremarkable, to the average viewer, sure. In reality, those two moments were HUGE victories, and years in the making.
Maggie is an independent, curious, active old gal with nearly a decade-old habit of doing whatever the hell she wants to. This is the dog that, when learning how to walk on a leash, reportedly turned back to the handler, excitedly grabbing the leash and barking wildly. This is the dog that would intercept water-bottle squirts on behalf of the family cat, catching the stream in her mouth. The dog that can open cabinets and trash cans and bedroom doors (really). The dog that uses her front dew-claws as thumbs. She's extremely intelligent, but more motivated by doing what she wants to do than by food. Getting her to turn away from a bowl of interesting smelling-stuffs and lie down on her own accord is monumental. It took a moment to register exactly what had happened- Maggie opted for a cuddle over pursuing the good smells. She listened. She listened, happily. It wasn't a fight. It wasn't frustrating. It was...smooth. Easy. Automatic!
Kira is our high maintenance darling. She was bounced around a few homes, the shelter, foster homes. Adopted & returned. Highly anxious, highly active, and highly reactive, we were told Kira could never be in a home with other dogs. We were told she was highly aggressive with small dogs. We were told she was a handful. She chewed through her metal crate the first full day she was left alone. She whined and paced and panted for weeks after adopting her. She bonded with R right away, but it took nearly three months before she'd even settle on her side. Longer, before we could try rubbing her belly for just a moment. Here we are, a three dog house, and she's thriving. Her best bud is our little terrier mix. Her leash-reactivity has gone from "Kujo on leash" to an alert, but in control darling. She happily offers her belly up for rubbings, and no longer loses her mind when passing another dog. When a super-exciting pair of dogs walked by the house with their people, she eagerly turned to me for lovin'.
My point is, focus on those little things. Celebrate those baby-steps forward. Rejoice in those small, seemingly insignificant victories. They're the foundation to those ultimate-triumphs, after all.
