We invited Gus along for our morning walk in the deep woods today, it was the first time he has been in the woods. It seemed like he had been doing it for years, he sniffed around, kept up with Fate and Red, kept an eye on us, loved the smells and sounds. He sits and stays now, up to 30 seconds (we are expanding it slowly to three minutes, the length of time required for a dog to really “stay.”)

He seems to have grasped that essential Bedlam Farm dog trait of posing well for photos, he is a ham, like Fate and Red. Gus is beginning to try out his sea legs, he can run fast and far, faster and farther than I would have thought, looking at his small body. He is not built for long-distance running like the border collies, but he keeps up with them in the woods.

Out of the bright sun, he seems quite athletic, he does tire easily in hot and humid weather, although he can play all day long in any weather.

It is a great pleasure to have three great dogs who will walk with us anywhere, not run off, sit and stay when told. We never have to worry about them, we are free to walk and think and be. This was my first time in the woods for awhile, the bugs get to me, and I hurt my back a few weeks ago, it is getting better.

Today, walking in the woods with Gus, we gave him yet another way of succeeding. Our training with him is going beautifully. He is (we think) housebroken, he sits on command, is learning to stay, mostly comes when called. He is socialized within an inch of his life and can go anywhere. He loves riding in the car.

Red ignores him but tolerates  him, Gus has opened up a new Fate, she is having a blast chasing him around. I loved the image of the three of them, sitting ahead of us on the path, waiting for us to catch up to them. It’s a kind of family portrait. Some of you may remember the walks on the path at the first Bedlam Farm, that has always been a hallmark of our lives with dogs.

Gus always looks odd to me in a photo, mostly because I have never had a small dog or photographed one. But he seems to fit in well here, he’s a quick study and figures things out. I am surprised by how intelligent Gus is, he really looks at people and pays attention, a key to good training.

Gus has really brought out the trainer in Maria, she is doing a wonderful job training him and loving it. She always told me she wasn’t good at dog training. This is what the dog gurus make us think, so we will buy their books and videos. The people who know and love their dogs are always the best trainers, they just need to be encouraged.  The famous trainers all like to create the impression that training is a complex and mystical skill possessed by the few and if you buy their books, you will have the perfect dog.

Nuts to that, there is no perfect dog, and if there was one, I wouldn’t want him or her. We do the best we can for as long as we can. I have learned to give he dogs a chance to succeed. We took Gus into the woods, took  his leash off and went on our walk.

He succeeded, and then some, a beautiful, even spiritual, thing. Training is not about obedience, it is about communicating, it is a spiritual experience, not about domination, but about living in harmony.