Cookie is a very sweet dog. Cookie is a very sweet dog who is 11 months old and doesn’t know any better. If I keep repeating this everyone will forgive his shortcomings, right?- Journal entry from March
Remember the sheen of success I referred to in my last blog? Well, back in mid-March I was glowing. I had back-to-back boarding sessions and a string of interviews with potential clients. All my babies up to that point were loving, adorable companions.
Then Cookie, the beagle, the terror arrived, The barking and whining started the moment he was dropped off. He would not and could not sit still. My feet became his favorite chew toys.
Going to the park was pure mayhem. Every time he encountered another dog he lost his mind barking and jumping. He only wanted to play but his rambunctiousness was not welcome to other dogs or their owners. I left him alone in my apartment for 5 minutes and he became hysterical. As soon as I opened the door he bolted out. Luckily I was able to wrestle him to the ground in the lobby of my building. My groceries including milk were left all over the hallway.
I ran into my normally even-tempered neighbor on the way to the park. His greeting to me was “We have to talk about your carpeting situation.” The glow was gone.
These pets may be cute but the reality of taking care of them isn’t. Here are some takeaways from Cookie’s visit.
The importance of impressions from a meet and greet
When Cookie’s owner brought him over for a meet and greet he would not stop barking. I told myself that this was because another dog was in the apartment and it was making Cookie nervous. Wrong! If a dog is hyper in the company of their owners they are going to be off the wall when they are dropped off. Also if the owner cannot control the dog a sitter has even less chance of maintaining discipline.
Petwork goal: Say no to boarding a dog who is too rambunctious.
This will be a tough one. As soon as I feel like a dog or an owner needs me I tell myself that all the difficulties being presented at the meet and greet can be overcome.
The importance of insulation
Right after Cookie’s visit I bought carpeting for my hallway, living room and bedroom. I managed to find inexpensive flooring on Ebay and Amazon. I sent my neighbors a bottle of wine and a note saying that I was putting in carpeting.
It’s not just barking that can be grating to your neighbors the scratching of a dog’s claws along hardwood can also be an irritant.
Leaving the TV or music on while you are out might muffle the sounds of a dog jumping or barking.
A future petwork purchase will be a white noise machine to reduce doggie commotion.
While insulation reduces noise it is not a magic bullet to silence. Which brings us to the importance of…
Calmness
Calmness has always been a far-away place to me. When I started working with dogs I naively believed that my struggles with serenity were over. I slept better with them next to me. Playing with them I got to be silly, loving and relaxed.
During the visit with Cookie I was strained, tense and frustrated.
Calmness is as much a requirement in this life as it was in my last one.
A few weeks ago I boarded a dog who was also on the high energy spectrum especially at night. To calm him and myself I turned my bedroom into a sanctuary. All the floors were padded not just with carpeting but with yoga mats and towels. The AC was turned on to muffle the sound. The bedroom door was closed sending the signal to the dog that this is not the time to wander around the apartment. The end result was everyone including my neighbors got over 8 hours of undisturbed sleep. A dog who normally would wake me up at 4 am didn’t budge till 10.
That slumber strategy was a direct result of the reading up I have been doing on the connection between inner serenity and dog training. I am going to update everyone on my progress in this field including interviews with dog training experts.
An old, vexing question also resurfaced during Cookie’s visit. How do I manage it when I didn’t manage something well? A new question followed it. Can I live with my mistakes better in this life than I did in this last one? In my old life mistakes no matter how small locked me up. I want this life to be as expansive as possible. How do to this? Aside from calmness and carpeting this lifework will involve self-acceptance, the dismantling of dysfunction psychological partnerships and large gulps of courage.
As always I will keep everyone posted on my progress.
petwork/gigwork/lifework 