Canine Good Citizen Class, Day 5

Oh, Louie. You dirty dog you.

We did it!
Saturday was the last day of class and I must say, Louie has improved quite a bit. Most noticeably he has improved in the 'lay down' department. Great job Louie, and okay, I'll pat myself on the back a little too. I didn't go into this class really expecting anything other than taking the test at the end. I thought we could probably pass the test as we were, but I wanted to be really clear on what was expected of us before we tried. Our instructor, Michael has done a great job making that very clear. I know just what to expect on test day and I'm pretty confident we've got it!

Louie's a little bit... how do I say... grungy.
I don't mean that he listens to '90's Seattle bands with holes in the sleeves of his hoody to put his thumbs through and blown out knees on his blue jeans. Actually, none of that, he doesn't even have thumbs. I mean he's a little dirty. Part of the test we have to pass is grooming and appearance. This part of the test is to show the dog is well groomed and cared for but also that the dog will sit and tolerate a stranger looking in his ears and mouth and touching his feet. Louie is very tolerant but not so tidy, my bad.

Michael had no problem peaking into Louie's ear holes, but there was buried treasure no one wanted to find. Black gold! No, just ear wax. Yuk. His breath stinks and his teeth are a little yellow and his nails need to be trimmed. Louie is obviously not neglected, as Michael said but anyone can see he could use a little sprucing up.

After class we drove home, Louie happy to relax in the back seat.
When we arrived I let Snorp out and practiced more in the driveway. I was really focusing on Louie walking with me, turning with me, stopping  with me and sitting by my side on command. It's something we do often but it's important he stays close to me the whole time during the test, so more practice couldn't hurt. After that we went inside and I cleaned Louie's ears out. Yuk is right, but he loves it. LOVES it. He absolutely loves to have his ears rubbed, and the inside is no different. I dampened a rag with warm water and wiped his ears out, followed by a dry rag to finish the job. Then I gave Louie a really good brushing. He also loves that. He tilts his head back and closes his eyes as I run the brush down his back again and again. Oh, Louie. Such a good boy.

Then there is the nails. 
I dread cutting Louie's nails. I have to admit, I am sure his unease about having his nails cut is because of me. I am afraid of trimming them too short and making him bleed. His nails are thick and jet black, there is no way to actually see where the quick is. The quick is the meaty part inside the base of the nail that you don't want to cut into or it will bleed. It doesn't hurt him to cut his nails unless you accidentally cut too short and cut the quick. I have only done this once a very long time ago and it left me a little unsure of myself. Add the fact that Louie yelps like he's being whipped with every nail clipping and I'm left a little traumatized. I briefly talked to instructor Michael about this in class today. He asked me if I had ever cut down too far and I said I had, but only once. Michael's response was, "See, then you can do it." Well, I guess I can.

So with this new found confidence I approached Louie with the nail clippers. I had him sit and I held his paw and positioned the nail in the clippers with the guard up so I couldn't possibly cut too short. Before I ever cut Louie yelped right in my ear. I jumped a bit and dropped the clippers as Louie sulked off into the other room. I took a deep breath and a handful of dog treats and called Louie back to me. He was reluctant to listen but he came to me slowly. I gave him his food and told him he was a good boy. This time, I didn't even have him sit. I bent down, picked his foot up off the ground just an inch or two and I clipped, this time without hesitation. Louie cried out, but softer this time and I told him he was a good boy as I moved on to the next nail and the next. I did the front feet first and then took a break. Louie cried the whole time but he wasn't jerking away from me anymore. The back feet were even easier and he was really happy when it was over. I'm sure he was happy because I was beaming and it is contagious.

I have re-learned a very valuable lesson.
Cutting Louie's nails has reminded me something I know, but need to be reminded of often. If I am afraid, even with the best intentions, I will project that fear onto Louie. If I am angry, even without yelling or screaming, Louie will act afraid of me. If I am irritated, Louie will not listen to me. If Louie is not behaving the way that I want him to, the first thing I need to do is check in with myself. How am I feeling? Where is my head at? If I am upset, angry or afraid it's time for me to take a breather. I need a break. It is not time to try and teach someone else if I am upset. If I can be happy, I can influence happiness. If I am calm, I can ask for obedience. If I have patients, I can allow others may live up to my expectations. This can be applied to every part of my life and I hope I can keep this in mind if I ever become a mother. Thanks again to my Blind Louie for gently teaching me another wonderful life lesson.