Lessons from Lola - Unleashed

It’s been four days, and I’ve already learned many lessons from Lola.  I’m sure none of you will be surprised that I’d want to share them.  So be warned, I’ve already got several of these lessons brewing in my head.  =]

Besides house breaking, so far, the most important training for Lola and I involves our daily walks.  Lola has to learn how to walk beside me on a leash.  It’s not ok to drag me.  It’s not ok for me to have to drag her.  It’s also not ok for her to attack other dogs, chase every leftover dog smell, or tangle me up in the leash.

The training basically happens naturally with the leash.  The key is that I have to hold it consistently.  When she tries to run ahead, it tugs her back.  She doesn’t like that, so she quits.  When she lags behind, I keep walking.  She either walks or gets dragged.  It hasn’t taken her long to catch on. 

I’ve noticed that there are basically two exceptions to this overall good behavior.  One is when I am inconsistent.  If I let her chase smells for a few minutes, she then wants to take advantage of the slack in the leash and lead me all over the complex.  The second is when there are other major distractions, namely dogs.

So as I’m going on these walks, observing her behavior, I’m thinking about how it applies to me.  First, I, like the rest of the world, need consistent boundaries.  Whether I set them for myself or someone else sets them for me, I need them.  I need that gentle tug on my collar when I rush out ahead to do something stupid without giving it any thought.  I also need that gentle tug when I lag behind.  Whether I’m lagging behind at work, or lagging behind in life, I need the boundaries.  I need the tugs that tell me to get it into gear.  They might come in the form of deadlines.  They might be gentle reminders from friends.  They might be natural consequences of my actions.  But whatever form they come in, I need them.

And then there are all of those other doggone distractions.  Other dogs.  Sometimes a simple “no” will keep Lola on track.  But sometimes I’m literally dragging her away, and she is fighting me so hard I nearly lift her off the ground by her collar, which can’t possibly feel good.  But she fights on.  And frankly, it’s in her nature to do so.  Checking out other dogs and people and smells is what dogs do.  So to train her otherwise, is no easy task.

Again, I’m thinking of myself and humanity in general.  According to scripture, we have a sinful nature.  It is in our nature to poke our noses into all kinds of places they have no business being.  And it’s not like you can escape temptation.  It walks right on the same sidewalk toward you blocking your path.  And for me, sometimes “no” is all it takes to keep me from doing something stupid.  But sometimes, I think I fight the leash and nearly strangle myself to get into trouble that God would clearly like for me to avoid. 

I suspect that this training that Lola and I are doing is going to continue for as long as she is mine.  I’m sure she will get the hang of things for the most part, but I’d bet that there is occasionally going to come along some kind of trouble that she just can’t resist sniffing out.  But I am not going to let go of the leash and allow her to get eaten by some big mean dog…or the little pesky ones.

I’m also pretty sure that my training is going to be lifelong as well.  But I’m 100% sure that my trainer won’t give up on me.