Bluebell was a wild puppy, full of speediness and delirious happiness. Just watching her filled me with that same delirious joy. My husband taught her to climb stairs and soon she was leaping instead of climbing. We soon taught her to like being in her crate. She learned special command words for body functions and learned to stay in her bed in the morning until we told her she could be up for the day. She learned not to bark at the garbage trucks, to wait patiently for permission to go out the front door, to lie down calmly when asked. We even taught this food-crazed puppy not to beg.
Bluebell as a puppy was pretty full of herself and we were told she had been bossy with her littermates. She was the one who did everything first – first to climb out of the playpen, for example, and the other puppies followed her lead. She was the one who invented the games her littermates learned to play. We knew that training her and keeping her challenged while allowing her beautiful spirit to flourish would be our job.
In addition to the training we did at home, we signed her up for puppy class as soon as she was old enough. This is where I learned that each dog is different and that I need to tune in to my dog to be sure she is getting what she needs, and that the situation is a good match for her.
At the time I assumed that a class run by an experienced teacher of a positive reinforcement method of training would be best. I could just follow along, come to class, and all would be well. Instead, each class was a struggle, and eventually my puppy got labeled a juvenile delinquent! Well, not using those words, but she had lots of time-outs during the puppy class and for us the class was about managing to get through it and not about learning.
With ten years hindsight, here’s what I learned from that class:
Assess the environment
The teaching room was too small for the number of puppies. Even the teacher mentioned that, though she said we’d be able to work with it.
Assess the puppy’s reaction to the environment
For some puppies the room was fine. For my excitable, rambunctious, fast-learning, bossy puppy, this too-small, too-noisy, puppy-filled room was not a good learning environment. Every time we walked into the room Bluebell got so over-excited that I had to take her outside to poop. I did not at the time put two and two together and realize that it was all too much stimulus for my particular puppy.
Quit if it’s not working
I was very invested in Bluebell taking that class, but it wasn’t working, and by the second or third class I should have stopped going. Each time it got worse, and though the teacher thought the answer was time-outs, and we kept trying, the time-outs simply did not fix the situation. It’s like going to a bad movie and staying because you think it has to get better. Usually, it doesn’t.
After that class, we took Bluebell to a different training class run by a different organization. The room was large and spacious. The puppies each had their own areas to be in with their people, and their own water dishes. Bluebell was still excitable, but this class was managed in a way that worked for all the puppies, including Bluebell.
When she was still a puppy but a bit older, we took her to a trail manners class. At the last class meeting, the puppies were all lined up on the trail while the teacher spoke with us. Bluebell was scratching her neck and that caused her tags to make loud jingling noises and we couldn’t hear the teacher. So I told Bluebell “stop scratching” and of course she did. She’s smart, she knew whatever she was doing was something I didn’t want, and she wants to do what I want.
The other humans were surprised, but I am not surprised. The people who met my puppy in the first puppy class did not see what I saw: a very energetic, very smart dog who, if treated well and taught in appropriate circumstances, would do incredible things for us with love and a desire to please us – and who needed to keep her own spirit of independence, as well.
Today, at age ten, Bluebell is a mellow dog who likes to follow directions and obey my wishes, yet she manages to get her own way in her own very funny style. She has kept her spirit. She can be a clown and make us laugh. She lets our younger, 7-year-old dog boss her around and even allows her food to be “stolen.”
Bluebell is no longer interested in bossing others, but she still likes to play. She is very sweet and likes to be petted and touched and noticed. She keeps opening our hearts in boundless love and joy of living. I’m so glad we persevered with her and encouraged her to shine!
Sharon Searles is a watercolor artist and teacher, and a writer. Her art website is FineArtBySharon.com. Sharon has two Australian Shepherds. Bluebell has her tail and Sharon would like people to know that Aussie tails are magnificent; keep them on the Aussie!
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Main article photo by: Sharon Searles
