The Best Laid Plans

Is it just me, or does the universe have a funny sense of humor when it comes to thinking you're in control? It’s like if I’m feeling really ambitious one day, something is always right around the corner to keep me humble and remind me that I’m not actually in charge of anything.

Case in point, I had so much planned for this week and I couldn’t wait to dive into work after a long holiday weekend. Then I got a call from the school that my youngest would be remote learning for the week. I don’t have to tell you that working with a 5 year old at home is next to impossible! Add to that the fact that I’m suddenly incredibly sensitive to caffeine to the point where I am completely avoiding it, and we can just call this week a wash! So far I’ve been able to get the vital things done to keep things moving along, but anything extra has been pushed back to next week for the sake of my sanity.

However, today I was reminded that life is always messy, and we just need to learn how to live in it. When it comes to training our dogs, there are days where literally nothing goes how we want it to go, right? They can take us by surprise, chase after a squirrel, growl at another dog, refuse to do what we ask, and endless other examples. And that’s just how it is! And we need to learn to cope.

Today, I wasn’t expecting a delivery but of course, the universe saw that I was unprepared and took full advantage! As soon as I heard the car door shut I jumped out of my chair and raced downstairs as fast as I could (you can read my previous blog post here to learn why I get so jumpy when this happens!). I came downstairs to a beautiful picture: Stryker was calmly standing at the window observing the mailman get a package out of his car. I took an extra second to simply BE in this moment and soak it all in – we have come so far. Then I grabbed some strawberries out of the fridge and called him over to me calmly. He walked over and sat down like we’ve done countless times, casually looked back out the window at the delivery man who was now walking to our door, then looked back at me in eager anticipation. I gave him a strawberry. He watched the delivery man set down the package and walk away, then looked back at me and laid down to see if this would net him another strawberry (it did). I told him what a good boy he was and scratched his head. I then let him walk over to the window to watch the man drive away.

This calm, easy experience wouldn’t have been possible without the hundreds of times (yes, hundreds. I mean it) that I showed up for a training moment when I wasn’t prepared, when it was messy, and when I had to completely make something up in the moment to keep Stryker under control. My point?

The best laid plans are an illusion.

The training moments that matter the most and have the biggest impact are usually the ones that you’re jolted into and unprepared for. That’s where the real learning happens, for both you and your dog. So keep on finding those moments that count, and avoid thinking that you’ll “train for 15 mins per day” and that will solve all your problems. (You are never not training, even if you think you’re not). Every moment is a training moment and an opportunity to shape your dog’s behavior. The most important thing is that you simply show up for those moments and put in the effort, time and time again.

Life and training are messy and imperfect, and that’s perfectly fine!