Tagged “mindfulness”

On this morning’s park walk with Rudy, he had an anxious bark at a passing dog. I was caught in the crossfire and got a wee bite to the leg. Now, a while back that would have been unremarkable – he’s had long-term lead anxiety which appears aggressive and has given me some cuts and bruises. But, we’ve worked hard on it and he’s been doing brilliantly, so it was a surprise and a disappointment.

But since my initial reaction, I’ve come to realise a couple of things and wanted to reflect on them here so that I can understand them and progress.

Firstly, a word on how it felt. The small bite itself ain’t much fun but I think what’s sorer is that I love that wee guy and put a lot into him and it feels like a harsh return. I also feel disappointed in myself for allowing it to happen. Okay, it feels good to have noted that!

On reflection I think I can be a bit less hard on both of us. While I’m really confident these behaviours will continue to become rarer, they’ll occasionally happen… and that’s okay. I’m happy that me and my dog-pal are both doing our best!

With that said, I have some good ideas about why this particular one happened and how to improve things.

Recently I’ve been particularly vigilant when Rudy passes the first other dog on the walk. And I’d been sure to give him a small pre-emptive lead and vocal correction when he shows too much interest. Importantly that’s before it has a chance to develop further. This comes from the training we did and has been working really well. It also serves a dual-purpose by setting the tone for the rest of the walk. I realise I had forgotten to pay particular attention on that first doggy drive-by and now know I can fix things by incorporating it again.

I also realise I was distracted – a work issue was preying on my mind. Slightly different territory here, but the lesson is for me to literally say aloud “I’m annoyed at this thing and I realise I’ve let it frustrate me and hog my concentration even outside of work. That’s pointless and I’m gonna let it go.”. I did that today and immediately felt better and more relaxed. Not only will that help with my concentration, I’m also pretty sure that “calm Laurence” is gonna promote “calm Rudy”.

The last realisation is that during his best behaviour he’s been sleeping elsewhere but last night I gave in to the puppy-dog eyes and let him sleep on our bed. Time to stop that one. It’s not just that i get a better sleep minus the furry hot water bottle. Importantly, when he sleeps and relaxes on his own (in his own space) it’s better for his all-round confidence and behaviour.

It was helpful to reflect on that. I’ve been enjoying a lot of blissful, peaceful walks with the wee guy recently and long may they continue.