Getting the Junk Out

We had an “incident” at agility class recently. About half way through the class, Bison became very distracted. He wasn’t listening to my commands, was pacing, and just generally not acting normal. The instructor and I both thought that it might be the heat. I also thought that maybe he wasn’t feeling well since he refused food that morning.

We always end class with a mini run of the obstacles with which we worked that that class. When it was Bison’s turn, he ran the first half, but when it was time to go over the A-frame, he refused. This was rather puzzling. This is normally his best obstacle because it is also used in Schutzhund. I gave him the command at least three times and tried to run up to the frame with him. He just kept pacing, then all the sudden he stopped and pooped right there on the course. I probably don’t need to explain what a huge “no, no” this is. Done in competition, it will disqualify the dog completely. I was very embarrassed. The piles left by a large GSD (German Shepherd Dog) are serious stuff. It pretty much ended the class.

As I drove home, absolutely mortified, I was reminded of a portion of a recent sermon. The preacher talked about all the junk that we put in our lives and how that can prevents us from serving God. The things that we watch, listen to, and read that are dishonoring to God and His principles cause our hearts to be distracted from the tasks that we need to accomplish for Him. I actually chuckled out loud at the similarity. Just like Bison needing to get the (Ahem) “junk” out of him to be able to focus, we need to get the junk out of our lives too.

James 4:7-9 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Finding the Right Discipline

I originally learned purely positive dog training. This means that there are never negative consequences for the dog other than withholding reward. Some trainers even shun the idea of a negative verbal response. This strategy works well as you teach new things, but when perfecting a command, a negative consequence is important to help the dog understand where his boundaries are. For many dogs a “NO” command is enough to set a boundary and make it clear. For Bison, when he is in drive, a “NO” is not enough. I struggled with how to communicate a negative consequence to help him understand when he offers behaviors that are unacceptable. Finally a few weeks ago, our club president taught me how to give a correct collar correction using a pinch training collar. I have been using a training collar for years, but didn’t know how to use it properly. It only took a couple of corrections before the boundary was very clear to him and he stopped the undesired behavior. It is amazing what a little correctly administered discipline can do.

I can’t help but compare this to a situation that my friend went through a few years ago with her son. We were talking and she expressed the discipline issues that she was having with him. I said something like, “I don’t have children, but I do know that there is a Biblical plan for discipline.” She tells me now that comment stirred her to find out what the Bible says to do. She got some Godly advice from a pastor who shared with her the correct way to discipline and saw a huge improvement in her son. What she tried for years wasn’t working, but Biblical discipline made the boundaries clear to him.

The following verses refer to discipline.
Proverbs 22:15- Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
Proverbs 23:13- Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
Proverbs 13:24- He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.