Lesson from Lance: Temptation

OK, in truth, this is something a person can learn from any dog during the training process.

It does not matter how well a person thinks the dog is already trained, it is always advised never to allow the dog to be tempted to do something they should not. The philosophy is "if the dog never learns it, he never will."

For instance, Service Dog, unless it becomes necessary in their training, are never taught to "shake" or offer their paw, because once one paw is the air, it is too tempting for them to try and jump up. To lift the second paw and plant kisses on the unsuspecting person's face. And, often, even if it should become important for the dogs training, it is not allowed until they have been not doing it for at least a year, and then it is brought back in as a "Cue" or something they do only when asked.

The same is true in teaching a dog to "come" or what some call "Recall", where the dog comes back to you when you ask them to, in a moments notice, no matter what fun or temptations are before them. Most trainers, I have heard, NEVER allow their dog off the leash until they have been doing "come" on cue for at least a year. And during that year, they might be allowed to get on longer and longer leashes or lines, but always, if the dog should never "come" the instant they are called, the owner/trainer has the ability to pull the dog back to them so the dog always equates the word "come" with the movement of heading back towards the person who called them.

When someone does not want the dog to enter a room, ever, for instance--I do not know why a person might allow the dog in most rooms, but not one, but this is an example--they leave the room blocked. So the dog can never enter the room. The person might also stick a foot in front of the dog or gently, with their hip or foot, nudge the dog back if it starts to cross over. Then, as the dog gets used to it and ages, even if the room is no longer blocked, the dog associates the sight of that room as "off limits." And is never tempted to try, because it was never allowed to try.

It is as though the ability to try to do something they should not has been wiped from their memory.

The owner/trainer, might click and treat for desired attitudes or actions, and block or keep the dog from trying the undesired. It does not, usually, require any sort of harsh discipline (the word itself, sadly, is often associated with the word "harsh" but it does not need to be), it simple requires that the dog is never allowed, or enabled to do the wrong, so they never learn to do it or even try it.

For instance, I have a one-year-old Newfoundland (Lance) that is laying by the front door of my apartment, because that is where he always lays and that is just his preferred place--especially when I have the heat on in the winter, because a small draft of cooler air comes under the door and keeps the linoleum cooler. But today is too sunny and nice to keep the door shut, so it is open. And while I trust him not to try and leave, even for a bathroom break, without my permission, I still have the door only half-open so a chair can sit blocking the way.

This not only keeps him from being tempted, or trying to leave without my say-so, but it teaches him that it is OK to look but don't go without checking with me first. It, of course, keeps him from ever starting the habit of running to great a stranger as they walk by, or anything else of the sort. It lets him look, lets him get to know the various changing sights and sounds, but lets him know they need to be usually kept at a distance (so when we walk together, he doesn't try to say "hi" either).

When temptation is never given the chance to be acted upon, it is never taught. Never needed to be excused ("While I did it last time, so maybe if Mom isn't looking, I could bolt again")

I think we can learn something from that.

All to often we think that the temptation is the sin. But it is the acting upon it that is the sin. And if we never act upon, we will never try. We, too, even as humans, can have our mind wiped of the idea to even try for something we should never try.

For example, did you know that scientists and statistics say that if a person never drinks alcohol before their twenty-first birthday, they probably never will?

So what are we being tempted by? And what, proverbial, chairs can we put up in the way to ensure we never look? Listen? Try?

Maybe we would never go to certain sites online, but does it hurt to put up the blocks so we are never tempted, either? Or at the least, to do so is difficult?

Writers are often taught of ways to put up blockers online, not so they won't go online, but so they won't STAY online too long. Research is something that can steal hours of a writer's time, not to mention the "mojo" they had to write that day, too. So setting hour-limits before certain sites kick a person off is a good idea. Possibly for everyone, and not just writers, especially with how addicting Facebook seems to be turning out to be for some!

So again, what might tempt you? And what can you do to ensure it can not? Does not? Or at the least, that you do not act on it...

I am pretty sure, that even though Lance would be fine without the chair blocking the door, that if he has a "Teen-dog" moment and wants to rebel, it would only take a little try of knocking the chair away and suddenly having a very unhappy mother's (mine) attention drawn to him and what he is doing, would stop him in his tracks. Not to mention, he would probably give me this sheepish/ashamed look and duck out of the way as I shut the door and we both lost the privileges of watching the outdoors for the rest of the day.

Simple. Easy...so why is it sometimes so hard for us to do implement in our own lives?

Don't knock it just because "I would never!" ...lame reason....the LAST resort is to not give in to temptation. The FIRST resort should be to avoid temptation. Period. Whenever possible...

Lesson from Lance: Ready?

I love playing fetch with Lance! He has the best expressions...He's all panting and excited as he releases the ball to my hand and sits, patiently, and yet easily distracted. Until I ask if he's ready. Then the tongue goes back in the mouth as his muscles tense and every focus is on me, ready to jump at the slightest movement. But he won't leave his spot until I say "go get it," which of course I don't tease him (too much) and usually say as I toss the ball...

The reaction I love the most is suddenly how focused he becomes at the word "Ready?" Nothing else matters then but focusing on me, waiting for the call to "go"...I'm thinking that is how focused we should be on God, eh? We should respond to His morning wake-up call of "ready?" with focus and determination, unwavering from Him as we wait for His "go".

(Perhaps we can learn something from Lance, then, too, as it seems like nothing else makes Lance happier then bringing back the prize [the ball], no matter the cost, and starting anew...)

Are you ready?

Lesson from Lance: Perfectly Made

I was petting Lance and a thought suddenly struck me as I was observing his markings...

See, Lance has a birthmark that, to me, sets him apart and makes him adorable (a brown patch near his rump), yet it would disqualify him from being a show-dog. But does he even know, or care? Or, for that matter, in everything I've read about understanding dogs, when have they mentioned that dogs talk among each other and complain about their abnormalities or differences? Their noses are too long, or short? What of the length of their hair? Color or closeness of their eyes? Etc? ...Nope...Instead all I hear about is how the dog's first thought or concern is pleasing it's "parent"/owner...

And I wonder...what it would be like if we as Christians stopped focusing so much on our outward -- the spots, speckles, and flaws we can't really change (like the Davis-ski-slope some call a nose?) -- and just focused on pleasing our Father God?

I wouldn't change a thing about Lance's appearance...from his floppy ears, to his bluetick legs, or the brown patch, or...

Lesson from Lance: Grace

Today I learned a lot...from Lance...about God, grace, and forgetting what you need to forget...

You ever have one of those days, that while it was slightly scary, it made you thankful for a few not-so-great things that happened earlier that month? Not to mention, make you realize just how God really does work in mysterious ways and work everything together for good?

Back story: earlier this month Lance was stung by a bee (or so we think) and the resulting little welt was starting to heal when he got to playing rough with Caito and tore it wide open about a week later. So to start this month off I had a vet bill, salve to put on Lance's open sore, and antibiotics he had to take every day. Oh, and we were recommended that Lance wear a T-shirt to keep his wound clean/covered/protected (FYI, for now, he wears the same size I do, apparently).

So today I took Lance for his almost-daily walk, and at the last minute I forgot to take Lance's T-shirt off before we left (his wound is healing fine so he probably doesn't need the T-shirt anymore). It turns out it was for the best that I forgot, despite the fact it had a couple little holes in it and didn't look all that great. It was a pleasant enough walk and we got to meet a very nice older couple during it. And then as we were coming around the last corner and headed home, one of the neighborhoods' pitbulls broke free from it's line and came right at us. Right at Lance...

Did I mention it was a scary day?

Immediately a few friendly neighbors went into action and as Lance sought refuge on another neighbor's porch, someone rounded up the pitbull and led it home, and another brought Lance back down the steps to me.

The good news is that in only a couple minutes Lance was back to his slobbering-greeting self and saying 'hi' (albeit a little more subdued then I know he can be) to everyone involved and aside from keeping his tail between his legs a few more minutes, he seemed fine. Even acting his normal self as we made our way home, waiting patiently by the door until I unlocked it so we could both go in (I was shaking more then him, apparently)!

The good thing about a Newfie is that they are called "goofy newfies" and the warning/caution signs you can get for them all say something like "Caution: Newfoundland may slobber you to death". As in, while Lance may have an incredible memory (a blessing and a downside; I have to make sure he never sees where I hide treats because he'll never forget to check there later) he has no concept of evil. If he had been a person and the pitbull had turned to apologize on it's way home, Lance would have probably given it a huge hug (albeit, hesitantly?), probably exchanged names, and maybe even made a new best friend, I'm sure.

*shakes head*
That's just who he is. There's no evil in anyone/anything, in his opinion.

Did I mention that the wound from earlier this month was a blessing too? Because one of the neighbors who helped us out today couldn't stop raving about how it was such a good thing Lance was wearing a T-shirt. It kept the pitbull from getting a good bite on Lance as it just got a mouthful of T-shirt instead. Not to mention, it allowed Lance to escape the pitbull and no blood (or fur) was spilled over the incident before everyone could intervene.

So yeah, Lance may never be very protective of me (Service Dogs aren't allowed to be), but as another blessing he might not have some of those other issues that SD's (or leashed dogs) do after they have been attacked by other (loose) dogs. He may never need all that therapy and such to recover. All he needs is a few minutes of extra petting from random people he just met, (a few treats from me?), maybe a little bit of licking/love from Caito, and all is as it was...

"There's evil in the world? Since when?"

(Perhaps if we summarized all harm/evil with a Newfie's mindset it would read like: if evil presents itself, there's grace/forgiveness for it. And how can it survive after that? It dies, of course. Much faster then the second it presented...)