Face Seeking

Author’s Note: The long gap in posting is due to Lester’s extended stay in a rehab facility and then back to the hospital to have his left leg amputated below the new. Now back home and getting back to life.

One of the earliest things to train a dog is to look at your face. It is desirable for attention and for earning points in competition. In SchH style heeling, handlers train their dogs to look at their face all while they are walking. One teaches this behavior by reward and repetition. I have done this a couple ways with my different dogs, but my favorite is using a clicker. (See “Definitions” for more information on clickers) Clicker and treats in hand, wait until the dog makes eye contact then click and give a treat. Repeat several times until the dog purposefully makes contact then start adding in a command each time the dog makes eye contact. After multiple repetitions, the dog will recognize the command and make eye contact on command.

This is a particularly easy command to teach a German Shepherd because focus is natural to them. From the time he was a tiny puppy, Bison has stared at us. He looks intently at our faces like he is just waiting for us to give him a command. There are times when he sits next to me and stares so intently that I feel uncomfortable.

It is this behavior that came to mind when reading Psalm 105:3 -4, “Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.” I read this verse one evening when I was feeling very tired and down. Lester was in the rehab center. I was home alone and wondering how I could face getting up in the morning. I was so tired. Reading this passage was so refreshing, understanding that we can have joy and strength by seeking the Lord. The phrase “seek his face evermore” was so real to me. I looked up from my Bible and saw Bison staring at me. It hit me that “seeking his face” is an attitude, not an action. German Shepherds, like Bison, stare because they are biddable animals. They are looking for any opportunity to please their master. They follow them they listen; they look to their face for any sign of communication. This is exactly the attitude that we should have for our Master, the Lord Jesus. Looking for any opportunity to please Him, “seeking his face”

Be Still to be Free

One of the cool things about training with a breeder is that the club members get to help “socialize” the puppies each time a new litter comes along. This helps the development of the puppies to be exposed to a variety of different types of people and to be touched and held. Last week, I picked one of the 7 week old puppies we were playing with and she started to squirm violently and scream a little puppy scream. I learned the hard way with Bison that you can not let go of them when they act that way. If you do, they learn that screaming and squirming gets them what they want. Instead, you need to calmly hold them until they are still and quiet, then let them go. She squirmed and kicked and threw such a loud fit that the whole club turned to look at us. This went on for about 30 seconds before she finally held still for a second and I let her go. She ran immediately to my breeder friend to tell her what a mean lady I am.

It seems backward that freedom comes from stillness. Maybe that is why it is such a hard concept for us to grasp in our Christian life. As I write these words, I sit in the hospital with Lester. The doctor told him this morning that his health is declining. His right foot is not healing and if he doesn’t have it removed, he may not be healthy enough in 6 months to have it taken off. We were prepared for the eventuality of the foot and lower leg being removed. But hearing his health assessed in such plain terms was hard for me to hear. I can not imagine life without him and this stark reminder is tough.

I was feeling a little overwhelmed at the possibility of this being our last Christmas together and wondering how I am going to help him get around while he gets used to walking with a prosthetic. I logged in to my laptop to check e-mail and read the daily devotional e-mail that I have sent. Boy what timing! The scripture passage was a phrase from Isaiah 30:15, “in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” The definition of quietness is “Free of turmoil and agitation; untroubled.” and confidence means “Trust or faith in a person or thing; the state or quality of being certain.” I really needed that reminder today. God knows the plans that he has for Lester. He has a plan for how many Christmases are to come and what the path between looks like. By trusting that my loving God knows best and resting from “turmoil and agitation”, I will have the strength to face the days ahead. I think of how He has always been there for me and how I always seem to have the strength that I need for each day. He isn’t going to fail me now. So again today I choose to trust Him even though I want to kick and scream. Just like the little puppy fretting and whining and wiggling, I finally find peace when I just sit still.

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.

Contentment

Lester was back in the hospital earlier this month for 10 days. His small toe on his left foot had a bone infection that was severe. The toe had to be removed. During his recovery, he became very ill and couldn’t keep down any food. It was (and still is) a stressful time. But, our family, church, and friends once again showered us with love and support.

Our friend’s Kate and Jerry came each day to let Bison out and feed him so I could stay at the hospital with Lester. Shane from my dog club drove an hour to take Bison to the park to play with him. On Saturday, Kate and Jerry took Bison to their home to play with their dog, Darla. Kate took photos of them playing together and sent them to my by text. It was so comforting getting those photos and seeing that he was taken care of.

One photo showed Bison playing with a little doggie smile on his face. When I looked at the photo, I was struck with the fact that even though Bison was a little stressed with Lester’s absence and me not giving him the attention that I normally do, he was still content to go with Kate and have fun with Darla.

1 Timothy 6:6-8 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” Bison was a good example of focusing on the good things and being content even in the midst of trouble.

Who’s in Control?

I recently had the opportunity to attend the regional SchH competition for our area. It was a really neat experience to see so many great dog and handler teams. As I watched the dogs perform, I was struck with the idea that most of these dogs were no better than mine as far as their capabilities. Bison could run as fast, jump as high, and obey as well. The main difference is that these dogs had better handlers. People with years and years of experience who had trained them from the time they were 8 weeks old or even earlier. The handlers are the ones who made the dogs as spectacular and as useful as they were. The best dogs on the field were the ones that were the most yielded to their handler. The worst dogs were the ones who tried to do their own thing. One dog was even disqualified for being “disobedient”.

It is the same way with the Christian life. We all have potential, but what makes us useful is our “handler”, God. The more we are yielded to him the better off we are. It is when we try to do our own thing, when we are disobedient, then we lose.

Romans 6:16- “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

1 Corinthians 6:20- “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”

2 Timothy 2:20 – 21 “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 21If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.“

Change the Message

I recently received some feedback on my handling and it was difficult to hear. I was told that I was not clearly communicating and was inconsistent. My first reaction was “no I’m not”, but I really respect the person who gave the feedback and decided that even though it was disconcerting, I needed to take it to heart. About the same time, someone else suggested that I video tape my training sessions in order to get a better understanding of what was happening.

My husband taped Bison and I and it was pretty telling to watch. It was exactly as my friend described, my tone was not clear and consistent. From an observer’s viewpoint, it was easy for me to see how this affected Bison negatively. I realized that I was so focused on what was going on with me, how I was holding the leash, how fast I was walking, and what I was going to do next that I didn’t concentrate on the viewpoint that Bison was seeing. What he saw was the leash fidgeting, the poorly executed commands, the unsure posture... all things that send a mixed message to him. I am determined to change the message.

It is easy to draw a parallel to another area in my life that I am also working on. That is the message that I am sending with my life. Being a caregiver for an ill spouse, it is easy to focus on the doctor appointments, the set backs, the grind of trying to put in a honest day at work while wanting to be home, fretting about the housework piling up and the dismay at how tired out I feel. What I realized though is that I still need to concentrate on the viewpoint that the outside world is seeing. In my heart, I want so badly to be a good testimony. I want others to see how good God is even in the midst of a trial. How He gives me strength when I think I can’t go on any more, and how He sends so many blessings through it all. When I focus on self, the Savior can not show through. I am sending a mixed message. Just like watching the video, I have started to really see myself and not liking what I see. I am determined to change the message.

As a first step in changing my focus, my husband, Lester, and I have taken on a challenge. We determined that every morning, afternoon, and evening we will each think of something for which we are thankful. This activity is based on Psalm 92:1 – 2, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,” and Psalm 55:16 - 17 “As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud : and he shall hear my voice.”

Reader, won’t you join us in this challenge?