Active Waiting

One challenge of having two food driven dogs is feeding time. Because Moose already had food guarding issues, we fed him and Bison in separate rooms. I decided when we got Grizzly that I didn’t want to worry about seporate rooms or food fights and attempted to make it “normal” to eat next to each other. From the first day, they were fed at the same time with their bowls about 3 feet apart. I, so far, have seen success with this. I believe it is because I have a strict routine with rules that MUST be followed. Rule #1- You must sit politely and wait while the food is being dished out, no pushing, lunging, or grabbing. Rule #2- You may not eat until you are given the “free” command. Because Bison is more advanced, he has the additional requirement that he has to look me in the eye to wait for his release command with no whining. Rule #3- No approaching the other’s dish before or during feeding. The ability to abide by these rules did not come naturally; it took weeks and months of training. To start a puppy with these rules, I dished out his food out of his reach, then hold him by placing my hand on his chest. I set the food down then say “free” as I let go of him. After he learned to “sit”, I gave him the “sit” command and hold him in place until I say “free”. As they advance, I no longer need to hold them in place. Then I can add in additional requirement, like “no whining” or “look at your handler”, by not giving the “free” command until they are quiet and looking me in the face. The result of this training is that after their morning potty, they run in the house to their respective bowls. They both sit with barely contained energy often drooling profusely, but they don’t move until they hear the word “free”. It is the epitome of anticipation. This activity is exactly what I thought of with a lesson that God recently taught me. Still grieving the loss of my husband, I find myself wondering if I will ever feel happy again. Each morning, I muster up the strength and courage to face a new day with new challenges without him. One particularly tough morning, I opened my Bible for comfort, choosing the Psalms where I left off in my typical evening reading. I read a couple chapters before coming across what felt like a big hug from God. Psalm 27:13-14, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” What this passage means to me is that I can’t give up believing that I will again see the goodness of God “in the land of the living”. Other widows tell me that the first year feels like a deep cloud of despair, but it does eventually lift and you go on. Their words and this passage give me hope. I don’t have to wait until I arrive in heaven to be reunited with Lester before I am happy again. Even though, at times, it seems impossible, if I am courageous (Means resolute) and wait, God’s healing and strength will come. What a wonderful promise. The word “wait” in this passage isn’t a passive word. It is active. The Bible concordance defines it as “look for, hope, expect look eagerly for”. It is like the dogs, full attention and quivering anticipation waiting for their food. I choose to follow their example, to have the courage to eagerly expect the strength of the Lord and to strive toward the advanced lesson of doing this with “No whining” and “Eyes on the Master”.

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.