AnEnduringBond

AN ENDURING BOND

In a timeless passage about love, patience and kindness, one trainer finds
the true spirit of our cherished companions and the sport of obedience.

by Bob Harris

There is a special relationship between people and their dogs, a relationship that has earned dogs a
distinct place in human society. Writers more eloquent than I have immortalized this bond in essays,
song and poetry. This bond is, in a single word, love. It is a two-way street that is well traversed
in the sport of obedience.

* “Love is patient…”

Without patience, it is difficult to teach a dog. If a trainer loses patience for even a second,
they often lose weeks of progress. Rather than think of the dog as “unintelligent” and the trainer
as “intelligent”, I prefer to think simply that a large language barrier exists between the two.
In the case of two people who do not speak the same language, a common system of
vocalizations is shared and, with patience, an understanding can be reached. Man and dog do
not share a common system of vocalizations, so the barrier is even larger. As a trainer,
you must repeatedly demonstrate that a given vocalization indicates a desire for the dog
to perform a certain task. With patience, the language barrier is breached and the
exercise is learned.

“…love is kind…”

Kindness is many things: consistency, firmness, and encouragement come quickly to mind.
It is unfair and unkind to issue a command to a dog today and insist on compliance,
then tomorrow give the same command and not insist on compliance. That insistence
should be firm. Sternness tempered with fairness should be used to deal with misbehavior.
The greatest manifestation of kindness is reward-ing your dog when its performance has
been in the direction of the desired response, not when the dog has completed the exercise
perfectly. Each obedience exercise consists of several parts. When teaching a dog a new
exercise, why withhold praise until all parts are complete? It is kind to let your dog know it is
doing well along the way. Too frequently, the dog’s countenance says, “I think this is what
my trainer wants. If he doesn’t holler, it must be right. But, gosh, I wish I knew for sure.”
Permissiveness, however, is not kindness. To allow a dog to do as it pleases is not good
for the dog. The dog must be taught what is and is not acceptable, for its own health,
safety and welfare. The definitions must be consistent.

“…and is not jealous…”

Love does not stop with training: it carries over into the obedience ring. Some trainers have
a knack for teaching a dog obedience exercises. They can start with almost any dog and in
a short time, the dog will master the task. A few dogs learn exercises readily and perform them
with great precision and showmanship. When we encounter the combination of a natural trainer
and a receptive dog, we witness the consistently high-scoring dog. This is a combination we
all admire, yet no one should be jealous. We still have something no one else has:
our own dog that adores us, and in which we should have pride.

“…love does not brag…”

Someday, somewhere, it is each person’s time to come out on top. Whether it is a one-time
win or a consistent reaping of High in Trials, it is an achievement of which to be proud.
But bragging is not good sportsmanship, nor does it show a love for your dog and its
accomplishments. Be proud, but do not brag.

“…and is not arrogant…”

One feature that distinguishes the obedience ring is the attitude of the majority of the participants.
The handler in first place will often sincerely congratulate the rest of those with qualifying scores
and offer to help those who are having problems with an exercise. Why the friendly attitude?
Because we all appreciate the work required to earn that coveted qualifying score and do not
have to prove our superiority to anyone.

“…love never fails.”

What is our reward? It is the devotion and companionship of that four-footed pal at our feet.
Dogs earned their status with man in the first place by being useful and retained their position
by offering companionship. Today’s obedience trials are supposed to demonstrate the ability
of a dog to be useful. An obedience dog enjoys the exercises because it wants to please
and to win approval from its handler.

Have you ever looked closely at the face of a dog that has been trained with the principles
expounded here? Love and happiness radiate from that dog as it looks up at its owner.
There is a closeness in the relationship between and obedience-trained dog and its master
that is rarely seen between any other dog and its owner. Such a dog will go through more
for its person than any human would. Its love will never fail.

* I Corinthians 13:4-5, 8 (New American Standard Version)
Bob Harris is an esteemed judge of Novice, Open and Utility classes from Syosset, NY.
He is currently competing with his Chesapeake Bay Retriever in obedience.

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