Show off

Photo by Dan Oas
For the obedience portion of the SchH title, the dog must perform a dumbbell retrieve. Difficulty builds at each level until the SchH3 level where the dog must retrieve the dumbbell from 30ft on flat ground, over a meter high jump, and over a 1.8 meter climbing wall. Since these activities account for 40% of the obedience score at this level, it is important to train it correctly.

At training this week, a fellow club member asked for help with teaching the dumbbell. I started training this a while back, but didn't have a lot of success and just put it up for a while. I thought this would be a good opportunity to try again, so I asked to be included in the lesson.

When it was Bison's turn to give it a try, he eagerly grabbed the dumbbell(DB)in his mouth and held it tight. This was very good because a loose grip can lose points. We followed the training process suggested by the fellow club member. Bison held the DB tight in his mouth. I used the leash to encourage him to trot in a circle a few times then backed up and called him in to front position to mimic how he would return with the DB after a retrieve. After he landed in the correct position for a few moments, then I would free him to trot in a circle again. The point of the exercise is to get Bison used to holding the DB and to see it as a fun game to carry it around. It also gives him practice getting into the right delivery position and shows him that when he carries the DB around it makes me happy. We had a great training session. Bison loved prancing around showing off the DB and even continued holding it while we practiced his "down", as you can see in the photo above.

For some reason, this reminded me of the Jr. Church kids signing "This Little Light of Mine". They hold their finger lights up high and twirl them around with the same gusto that Bison has as he prances with the DB. Both finger light twirling and DB prancing are such good examples of how we should be proud of representing Christ in our everyday life. The Bible says in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." What a wonderful thing to show the joy, peace, strength, wisdom, faith...that He gives us everyday and to show it with gusto! The point is kind of the same as the training activity to get practice with our faith, to show that the Christian life is fun, and to make our Heavenly Handler happy! I doing so, we give other people a reason to become a Christian too or just the opportunity to glorify God with us. So, be like Bison with his DB hold on tight, and show it off!

CGC

Last month, we had the opportunity for Bison to try the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Test offered by the American Kennel Club (AKC). This is a title that can be earned to show that your dog has basic manners and obedience. I have heard that some insurance companies even offer a discount on your home owners insurance if your dog passes the test. You are required to perform 10 basic tests with your dog such as greeting a person while your dog sits, having the dog brushed by the evaluator, walking loosely on leash... (See the AKC website for a complete list of the 10 tests).

The evaluator that we used is an obedience instructor. He suggested that we stop by as his class was ending to do our test. When we arrived at the building, Bison was very excited. He loves going to class and even though we had not been to this facility, our routine of getting out of the car with the leash and going potty clued him in that we were in for some fun. I believe that I have mentioned before that Bison has a difficult time calming when he gets excited. I was starting to panic, if he was overloaded when we started the test, he would fail. I remembered my club training director saying that she uses obedience commands to get her young dogs to stay focused. I told Bison to lay down while I filled out the paper work. He had to be reminded several times not to get up and he was buzzing with excitement. Finally, he settled down just as it was time for us to go into the classroom, but as soon as he entered and saw the other dogs in a doggy class setting, he started building up drive again. I asked the evaluator if we could warm up. I thought if I could get him distracted with the treats that I had with me, he might think I still had some in my hands when we started the test (no food is allowed during the test). It worked. Bison settled into following the obedience commands and was able to calm down. When we did the test, he completed all 10 with only a couple small hiccups. He passed and was awarded his Canine Good Citizenship. By focusing on obedience, even when he was buzzing with energy, he was able to pass the test.

This experience aligned well with a thought that I had last week. A friend mentioned the quote that people often say when they are going through a tough time. “God will never give you more than you can handle.” I couldn't remember for sure if it was actually in the Bible; religious saying sometimes are not. I looked it up and found that it is based on 1 Corinthians 10:13 which says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” I was struck by the last phrase, “but will with the temptation make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” I thought about the strength that God has given me through the last few months as Lester has been in the hospital for the amputation of his small toe on the left foot and another surgery to remove the remaining toes and part of the foot. It is more of a blessing to me that God gives me a way to escape the temptation of anger and bitterness than that quote that is often made, “He won’t give us more than we can handle”. He provides a way. I don’t have to figure things out, I just need to trust him.

Taking the thought one step further, the “way to escape” is often through obedience. I am able to defeat the temptation to get angry and fearful when I spend time in prayer and Bible reading, essentially obeying God’s commands. When I fail is when I try to do things on my own. I neglect to reflect on God’s goodness. I don’t pray. I lose faith.
Like Bison, I get worked up into a state where I can not focus; I can not defeat the temptation. I am overcome with nervous energy and can not focus on my task. I can’t win. But through obedience, I can settle in and listen to the one who loves me and take His “way of escape” to enable me to bare the trials that I face. I can pass the “Christian Good Citizen” test.