Close Your Eyes

Years ago, I had something happen to me that was a most unforgettable experience. My eyes were opened by closing them. I wish I had the talent of some writers, who can so easily express their thoughts on paper. You, as the reader, would then clearly understand what I am about to say. Everyone has turning points in their lives. Things that happen where they are never the same again. Let me tell you one of mine. Let me "try" to tell you one of mine.

My dog Clipper and I were up north training at a very special place. We went there for seven days. I was relatively new to this type of work and I only had Clipper for a few months. At the start of our dog/handler bootcamp, both of us were getting used to each other. We were doing all kinds of things that we had never done before. Everyday was something new to learn; new challenges, new discoveries, new talents that I didn't know she or I had.

It wasn't about all of the mistakes I was making, which were many. It wasn't about the poor handling skills I had. It was about all of the great stuff that mentally, physically and spiritually that I was learning. It truly was one of the best weeks, ever, of my life. Of all the great things that happened that week, there was one moment that stood out. To this day, I can go back in my mind and it is so fresh, so clear, like it happened only yesterday.

It was day five of a seven day course. A sunny, cool afternoon. We had trained all day, so we were somewhat tired. We were out in the field with a few other dog/handler teams. In the middle of all of us was a really big bonfire. I mean this fire was really big! Our trainer said to me, "I want you to shut your eyes and walk towards the fire." He also said, "And don't open your eyes until I say so."

So, I think to myself, "Okay, the purpose of this exercise is that as I get closer to the fire, Clipper will pull back and save me from a fiery death.. She will figure out that I am out of my mind, and take charge of the situation." What normal person walks into a fire?

So, I shut my eyes and we both head toward the fire. Like I said, this was a really big fire, and as I started to get closer I could feel the heat of it more and more. I could hear the crackling and hissing of the flames. I'm still walking , but Clipper has not pulled me back yet...strange?? I knew I had to be getting close. But I was fully confident that she would alert me by pulling back, and as a back up, I knew that Mike would not allow me to walk into the fire. ( I hadn't paid him yet!) So, I was not afraid of the fire, even with my eyes shut. I had two things to keep me from the flames, Clipper and Mike.

Still walking...Boy, I could really feel the heat now.
Still walking...No pulling back by Clipper...strange??
Still walking...No "Stop" command from Mike.
Still walking...No pulling, no stop.

I think to myself, "Man, I have to be almost in the fire!" Still walking...no pulling back. Then..."STOP!! OPEN YOUR EYES!!" I open my eyes and indeed "I am" almost in the fire! My face was hot from the flames. I look at Mike and he points his finger at me and he says those words that changed my life forever. "You see, that dog would have walked through that fire with you!"

BAMM!! Like a ton of bricks, the realization of what just happened, hit me. Clipper "would have" walked through that fire with me! For a split second, I thought that there was something very wrong with my dog. Why didn't she pull back? Then he says, "Because you were going through that fire, she was going through that fire."

Then it all became crystal clear to me. Then I understood. I actually was speechless for about a half an hour. All I could do was shake my head, grin and cough out a laugh or two. The glean from Mike's eyes told me he knew exactly what I was feeling. You see, not only was I physically walking towards and through that fire, but I was one hundred percent mentally and inwardly walking towards and through that fire. I was that way from the confidence I had in Clipper and Mike to warn me.

Here is the really cool part. Had my eyes been open, Clipper would have pulled me back. Had my eyes been open, my body language would have changed as I got closer and closer to that fire. Had my eyes been open...I would have never had my eyes opened.

It was such a lesson for me concerning how we communicate with our dogs in ways other than vocally or through the use of equipment. It comes from the inside of you. What's inside eventually comes outside. My mind and body were walking through that fire - one hundred percent. Had my eyes been open, my mind would have told my body, "Hey! Look at that big ol' fire!" My body would have answered by saying, "I see it!" and would have reacted by slightly changing the way that I was walking toward the fire. My movements would have been hesitant, cautious and somewhat afraid. Clipper, as dogs do so well, would have easily picked up on this and clearly noticed the difference in my body movements. Then, she would have thought to herself, "Hey! Why is he so hesitant, cautious and afraid? Probably because of that big ol' fire in front of us!" Then she would have thought, "I'm not going closer to that thing if he is afraid of it." Then, she would have pulled back.

We do this with our dogs much too often. We tell them one thing, but send completely opposite signals via our emotions, body language, equipment...etc... Then, when the dog does not respond how we wish him to, we "unfairly" and "ignorantly" correct the dog. We get all aggravated, which worsens the situation. That would be like me telling you to go left "or" right at the corner. Then, when you turned left, I would yell at you and hit you because I wanted you to turn right. What kind of idiot would you think I was? How does your dog think of you?

All this was made clear to me when he said, "That dog would have walked through that fire with you!" That's why I couldn't talk, but only savour what I had just learned. I'll always remember Mike smiling at me because he knew what I had just learned and experienced. Ever since that moment, I've been hooked on this type of training. It has given me similar moments like this one and taught me much. But that one was special, as it opened up a new world to me, so to speak. It introduced me to a way of training that is so much more than just dog training. So much more than to just give a dog a treat. So much more that shocking a dog. So much more...

So remember this story and apply the philosophy of it in your training. I believe a dog can see the true "inside of you" by your outward actions. Sometimes we think that we can hide them from them. Just like a little child trying to hide something behind his back. But you can't, so just be genuine and honest. Be aware that you just might be giving your dog opposite directions to choose from. You just might be telling him to go left "or" right. Are you?

Sometimes you have to close your eyes to have them opened.

Thanks Mike.