Last night was Enk’s final night with us here in Mississippi. For 11.5 weeks, our world has been her world, but tomorrow morning, her world changes. . .
Her last day was packed with exposure opportunities (i think of ‘socialization’ more in terms of ‘exposure’ rather than ‘socializing’; my goal is to *positively* expose my pup to as many different types of stimuli as possible rather than socialize her . . . )
We had two separate outings, with a long break between the 2 outings. Small outings : short, focused and purposeful are more meaningful to your pup’s training. The puppy is just a baby and will learn better from shorter training and exposure sessions.
Last night, we took Enk to a small restaurant parking lot at the intersection of 2 of the busiest roads in our small city. Enk and I used the parked car as our ‘hub’; I leashed her and helped her out of the car (a young pup’s joints and bones are still developing; assisting the dog in loading into and unloading out of the car protects her during this important time of growth and development). We walked about 30 steps away from the car, paused meandered around for a couple of minutes and then walked back to the car. That’s all. It was simple. It was brief. But in those few minutes, she observed:
Cars engines starting
Horns beeping as people used their fob to lock or unlock the doors
The drive thru bell ringing when anyone ran across the cable
Loud voices from the drive thru speaker
Cars passing quickly
Cars stopping quickly at the light at the intersection
Motorcycles
Large dump trucks from a nearby concrete plant. With the dump flap clanking loudly
A train passed and the train whistle sounded repeated long blasts
People talking loudly and laughing in the parking lot
The bell of the door as it opened and closed
Loud car radios
A truck with a ‘redneck’ muffler
The strong smell of barbecue being smoked over the fire pit
Coarse doors opening and slamming shut
Keys jingling from pockets and purses and being dropped on the ground
A dog barking loudly from a car
A siren from an emergency vehicle in the distance
I’m sure there was more that I’m missing. . . It is AMAZING how many things are happening in the world around us that we busily rush past without absorbing. Dogs are masters of observation . . . They soak in so much detail.
At the other end of the leash, our task is to observe the dog : she is constantly sharing information with her through her tail and ear position and thru her eyes and the stance of her body. Our goal in these days of exposure for a young pup is to make sure each new experience is fun, is positive, and is controlled. I offered food. I offered a quick tug and a short retrieve and I asked her to pee. In showing me that she was capable or eating, playing, and following a simple command, she told me that she was not ‘in over her head’ but that she was functioning very well in that busy, busy environment. When she heard a new noise – like the sudden whistle of the train – and turned her head toward that noise, i acknowledged her response by replying with gentle words “oh, that was a loud noise wasn’t it, girl?” And her tail would wag softly, acknowledging that she appreciated the interaction. We returned to the car within 5 minutes and were ready for our next stop.
The ride between locations gave her a chance to chew on a chew stick, interact with her toys and snuggle into her soft blanket. She had a chance to recharge her battery just a little. Yet, I already calculated that the initial exposure was a LOT of stimuli. Our second stop was at a large church. The front parking lot was mostly empty and with ample distance between the parking lot and the busy road. There was a lot of activity in the back parking lot : a bus being loaded with teenagers. Lots of cars had pulled in to off load teenagers and there was a lot of chatter and laughter and background people and car and bus noises. In the front parking lot, I allowed Enk to set the pace. I was using a 6′ light weight leash attached to a flat collar. She led the way. I walked alongside her: this was not a lesson in loose leash walking, although WE kept the leash loose indeed – but I assumed responsibility for the loose leash in this situation. Our outing had one focus : positive exposure. Leash walking lessons would happen at another time. I allowed her to sniff – to follow her nose; i allowed her to listen – and to follow her ears; i allowed her to look – and follow her eyes. She richly enjoyed the thick thick sod of the manicured lawn. She explored the changing surfaces from grace to concrete to cement to metal manhole covers and grates to rubber door mats in front of glass doors. She walked from shade into sun and back to shade. She felt warm concrete and cool grass. She heard cars and ambulances and airplanes and helicopters and distant, but boisterous, conversation and laughter. She heard whistles and jingles and jangles of bags and keys and jewelry. She smelled the fumes of the bus and the burgers cooking at a nearby restaurant. She saw a butterfly and a cricket and enjoyed trying to pounce on them. She stopped to smell some bright colored flowers. She paused to look at her own reflection in the large glass doors. She sat in the shade in the cool thick grass and stretched the full length of her body across it and just laid there for a few minutes and soaked in all the world around her. I didn’t use hardly any kibble or toys . . .i just let her explore. I was armed with a small squeaky toy to retrieve, a small knotted cloth to tug, and some high value food. But she was content to just soak in the world around her and needed nothing from me other than to occasionally acknowledge that she had noticed something unique. The walk was long – much longer than a ‘loose leash skills’ walk, because the pace was different and the purpose was different. As the sun began its descent, the night sounds and shadows changed . . . New critters began to chirp and hum. Lights automatically turned on. We made our way back to the car and drove home.
It was nothing.
It was everything.
It was positive exposure and it was very meaningful to Enk.