[nagdu] talents

[Tracy Carcione]

Joy's message about her third dog's special talent for retracing his steps
reminded me of something I've learned from my dogs: that everyone has
their own special talents.  I think Ben's is turning himself into a
stuffed animal when he lies down.  Echo's was finding places she'd been
before.  Amba's was staying calm while others, like me, were getting
anxious.  Lucky's was just being great at everything.
Not meaning to be soppy, but it's one of the great lessons my dogs have
taught me.  I try to look at people too, and see their special talents,
even if they don't otherwise seem special.  I'm not always successful, but
it's a thing I try to keep in mind.
Tracy

> Iona,
>
> It sounds like Adrian could be one of those dogs who does lots more than
> you
> realize because he's a more subtle worker. I have often found out things
> later than my dogs have done which were good but, because their work was
> so
> smooth I didn't realize it. Then, if I wasn't paying attention they might
> get distracted. It was almost as if they were saying "fine, if she's not
> going to appreciate what I'm trying to do, I guess it's not that
> important."
> I know that your tension will be picked up by your dog and that it will
> have
> an impact on his/her work just as it has an impact on how you receive any
> messages sent to you through that harness handle. On the other hand, your
> dog's skills might be heavier in another area. If your dog guides you
> effectively, professionally and safely he's earned his pay. My third dog
> had
> an natural ability to retrace our steps after we had gone twisting and
> turning down isles in a store on through the halls of a shopping mall. It
> was not something that he was taught to do. I really praised him for it
> and
> loved being able to get back out of an area with his skills, but my last
> dog
> had other skills and natural abilities which did not include this skill. I
> found myself getting frustrated a couple of times when I couldn't ask her
> to
> take me out and have her do it, but I learned to talk to myself and remind
> myself that it goes both ways. I'm probably not skilled in all of the ways
> that my dog's puppy raiser or trainer are skilled but we worked
> successfully
> nonetheless. I would recommend that you keep working as a time and keep it
> positive for both of you. It's easy to compare your dog with others, but
> it's not fair. Just think what your dog might being saying about you.