Thankful Thursday – For Our Imperfect Dogs (Kids or Mate)

One thing I know for sure is that in order for me to be thankful for things I consider to be less worthy of gratitude, I have to start with those things I am truly thankful for – my home, my bed – you get the idea. Real gratitude somehow overflows and wraps itself around those things for which we are not quite thankful. For some, our dogs are on the top of the list. For others, perhaps with a puppy or with a dog that is difficult, gratitude is not an automatic. (Feel free to insert your kids, work, and/or mate!)

I have decreased my writing about training techniques because the market is flooded with information on how to have a well behaved dog. It’s always described as quick and easy! Yet, our dogs still pull on the leash, still bolt when they see a squirrel or cat running away from them, still bark at the mailman and still attempt to jump on people when greeting. I don’t know about your dog(s), but mine haven’t read one word from the books and are quite content being dogs and letting me figure out how to work with them.

So. . .what about (seemingly) misbehaving dogs brings me gratitude – they aren’t perfect and we don’t have to be either. They are forever two years old and need to be asked and reminded of those quick and easy dog training steps we just knew would fix them. I’m grateful that in the midst of our frustration with some of their behavior, they don’t just turn around and bite us for asking them to sit when their prey drive or zest for affection is declaring, “get rabbit – NOW” or “that human wants to pet me I just know it, I know it, I do, I do!