Sometimes You Just Can’t be a Post

I am not by nature an adventurer, so when we started SchH training, I was determined to step out of my comfort zone. I wanted to brave the snow, rain, and heat and the physical demands head on. That is why I was not willing to admit defeat when I was struggling to “post” Bison in protection training.

Posting is when the handler “stands like a post" and holds the dog’s leash while the helper (see terms) agitates him with the bite sleeve. It is important not to wobble and let the dog surge forward. There are many reasons for doing this activity which I won’t get into here. For an un-athletic woman, holding back a 110 lb German Shepherd (GSD) who is taking flying leaps at the end of the rope is not an easy thing. I was shown how to stand and how to hold the rope, but no matter how determined I was and how hard I tried I still couldn’t hold him still and it was inhibiting the learning process. I just kept thinking, “All I have to do is stand here like a post, how hard can it be? What is wrong with me?”

One training day, I hurt my knee. My fellow club member, Lisa, volunteered to post Bison for me. She is a very strong woman whom I admire. She is an aerobics instructor and has done some weight lifting. I have to admit that I felt relieved. I thought, “Finally Bison would get posted properly and would be able to learn.” But, the most amazing thing happened. She wobbled too, not as much as me, but she did. She even told me that Bison was really strong. I was shocked. All that time I thought it was just me, so I never said anything, I just continued to struggle. The following week our helper suggested that we post him on a tree, something that I didn’t even know as an option. From then on, Bison improved quickly. I wonder what would have happened if I would have asked for help instead of continuing to try to do it on my own.

So many times in our lives we are like me trying to post Bison. We get in over our heads, and we don’t ask for help. We go on trying to do things on our own and failing miserably. Instead, we need to turn to God for help. Jeremiah 33:3 says “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” God is always there to help us when we ask. But, the biggest lesson I learned from this experience was that we need to help each other. When Lisa saw that I was hurting (my knee) she stepped in and faced the challenge. Because of her knowledge and experience, she was able to assess the situation and make it better for Bison and me. Galatians 6:2 says “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” There are people all around us who are hurting, struggling to do things on their own, but so often we don’t want to get involved. What a difference a kind word, a sympathetic ear, or a hug can make to lighten someone’s burden.