So I've been noticing something. I think I type and say fairly frequently that I am not a perfect dog owner, and I think I share my mistakes freely. I have been encountering some people who have been enjoying, a little too much in my opinion, pointing out some "less than perfect" behaviors within my pack. Therefore, I feel I need to clarify, or re-clarify, part of my pack-living philosophy.
I will not declare that my dogs will never ever do some things. I will say that I will never ever let unwanted behaviors go without a response from me. I will not declare that my dogs will never make a mistake or a bad choice. I will say that I will never see my dogs as anything other than perfect because with my efforts to provide a stable, nurturing environment, my dogs can be their full selves; their full perfect selves.
Everyone knows Luna is perfect! She's everything I could hope for in a dog. She's smart and fun and calm and strong and always up for any adventure the day may bring. She wants to be with me wherever I go, and she wants to make me happy as we experience everything together. I like to take her to as many places as possible because I believe that helps dogs be comfortable in multiple environments. If I encourage the same rules no matter where we go, life is predictable even if the people or the road or the house or the weather or the state is not.
I took Luna to a Fourth of July party at my friends' home. They have a beautiful patio and pool and there were dozens of people enjoying it all when we arrived. Luna walked with me down the stone steps to say hello to everyone, and when I stopped to hug a friend, Luna kept on going and jumped right into the pool. She never stopped. She never even looked back to me to ask permission. She jumped right into the pool. I nearly lost my mind!
Everyone at the party thought she was adorable and said she was so sweet and fun, and that she jumped in because it was so hot, and the hosts assured me it was absolutely fine. All of that was nice, but I ordered Luna out of the pool immediately and told her to Sit. Down. And. Stay. Everyone continued to laugh at how cute she was, and everyone continued to tell me it was not just fine, but great that she jumped in, and that she shouldn't have to sit there and be in trouble, and isn't she just so cute, and how could I deny her?
I wasn't livid with Luna, but I was surprised actually. How had my Perfect Peanut not even looked to me for permission before jumping in that pool? When we are at Lake Michigan, she has to wait until we set everything down before she is allowed to jump in. She knows this! Well, she's Luna and she's a dog and she was excited and she was in a new environment and I didn't give her any direction before we walked through the pool gate. It was me. It was my fault. But her behavior required a response from me. Since I hadn't given her enough direction to prevent the jumping into the pool without permission, I had to give her direction as quickly and clearly as possible to get out and wait for my approval.
It's not that Luna couldn't go swimming. It was that she made a choice that wasn't safe. Her ability to make that choice was my fault so I had to correct both of our mistakes. I did that by telling her very seriously to "Come!" "Follow me." "Sit." "Stay." I said my hellos and gave hugs all around, and then Luna was given permission to jump back into the pool.
We each made a mistake and I responded. My Perfect Luna made a choice I didn't like, so I had to tell her not just "No!" but Here's-What-I-Want-You-To-Do. Our relationship is not only intact, it's even better. She's so great. She's perfect. I am not.
Happy Perfect Luna Being a Retriever
