Accepting your dog the way he/she is....

[Nik]

For the first time in about two years I've finally realized that I have accepted Navi & Pache for ALL of their quirks both good & bad and it's finally paying off. I've always wanted them to be outgoing, social dogs even though I've realized for awhile now they have their limits to how far this will actually become a reality. Both of them have been known to be afraid of people, territorial, each one has bitten once, and I've just generally HAD to pay extra careful attention when someone other than our family members and just a handfull of our friends are around. I've always accepted this fact, or so I thought until recently.

 

For two years now, we've been building onto our house ourselves. We've finally gotten to the point of having to pay subcontractors for particular work that we cannot do ourselves. I always make sure I tell everyone that works on our house "Do NOT come through the gate in the back yard until you give me a chance to put my dogs in if they are outside". So far I usually don't have any problems with people not paying attention to my wishes, but I've always been a little on the embarrassed side to even have to make such a request.

 

Lately though, with so many people coming and going I haven't had the time to be embarrassed about it. Call me crazy but I think Navi & Pache both have noticed this because they have been on their best behavior w/ all of this traffic in our home. They used to see someone out back and bark at the backdoor like they wanted to tear the door away to get at whoever was out back. Now they are content to just lie there watching the commotion going on. I have even been able to let them out back for a potty break w/o them so much as paying attention to whatever "stranger" is there. Even to the point of maybe taking a quick sniff of the person then going to get the ball or frisbee to play w/ said person then turning to me because the other person is too busy to play.

 

It also doesn't "bother" me anymore to have to tell someone to let me put the dogs away until I get a chance to let them meet you. I guess all this practice has made perfect. I think though that I have finally TRUELY accepted them for the dogs they are and not wanting them to be any other way and they have rewarded me for that by partially becoming the kind of dogs that I was hoping they would be.

[WyoBC]

I agree. I have come to accept all of Black Jack's quirks. Good and bad also. Everytime I stand up and he jumps out of his skin for a moment until he knows it's just me, when I throw the toy behind him and he whines, until he sees the toy go flying by him (and not hitting him), or when I brush him and he thinks I'm killing him. Ok, I'm still trying to get him to quit that But I have accepted that he was abused, but decided that he will never be again. I have accepted that he likes being the only dog, and will give up getting another dog for now to keep him happy. He has accepted everything that has happened to him and still loves everybody. No matter what. That's true love.