Those of us with “country-dogs” know how “thrilling” it is to have them race triumphantly home after rolling in something dead. Living in an open-space landscape can be a double-edged sword. Freedom has its risks, which we face every time we turn them out unattended or take them for an extended walk. While living in rural east-county San Diego, my husband would frequently take our dogs for mid-day romps in the dry San Diego River wash. It was a wandering loop that took about 45 minutes. Our big dog, Rascal, was particularly fond of this location, as it provided miles of open scrubland, criss-crossed with equestrian and coyote trails…and hidden dead things.
The general rules of engagement for walks in the wash were as follows: stay within sight, check-in every five minutes if you go out of sight, and don’t cross the wide dirt road that bisects the river valley. Nearly every walk was shaped by these loose rules and we typically stayed on the east side of the road that served the homes on both sides of the valley…until Rascal found his latest carcass cache. After this find, his recall on walks started to fall apart and his behavior became unreliable. We suspected the carcass was west of the road, but we never knew for sure. What we did know was that we needed to tighten up his training if he was going to be trusted again in the wash.
My husband decided to make the rules very clear to Rascal prior to their next walk. Using his own animal communication skills, Richard visualized for Rascal, who dutifully sat at Richard’s feet with unblinking eyes, the criteria Richard expected. Richard’s goal was to have Rascal check in by physically returning from any out-of-sight explorations every five minutes, and to return to his side by the end of the walk, at the crest of a hill that overlooked the road where the car was left. Then, they would descend together for the final approach to the car. No more of this calling and calling and waiting at the car with no Rascal in sight!
Generally speaking, Rascal is an exceptionally submissive and compliant dog, except when he’s not. Richard, ever the optimist, hoped this pre-walk “chat” would keep Rascal on point and away from his westward carcass temptation. With the rules re-defined, they set out for the proofing grounds of the wash.
The walk started like they always did. They parked on the dirt road. They crossed east into the wash. When released, Rascal bounded south-east, out of sight. But within five minutes, he burst forth from the scrub to appear at Richard’s side, panting and happy, only to dart off again, and return again. It looked like Rascal heard Richard’s instructions clearly and was doing his level best to impress Richard with his steadfast compliance. Richard remained hopeful.
Just as it looked like this training session might be a resounding success, Richard crested the final hill above the dirt road. At this point, Rascal was expected to appear from the brush and descend the hill with Richard to the car below…and he did, but from the west, across the dirt road, the forbidden dirt road, the dirt road Richard failed to include in his clearly visualized pre-walk instructions.
Richard was immediately angry when he saw Rascal thunderously running toward him from across the road. As Rascal eagerly reached the crest of the hill at the perfect time to meet Richard for their descent, Richard realized the fault was his own. He had assumed the rule of the road was a given, eliminating that particular instruction from the list. By eliminating that one rule, Rascal could be the perfect boy while still crossing the road to check out that carcass.
With Rascal wagging and panting beside him at the appointed place and the appointed time, Richard had to swallow his anger and acknowledge Rascal’s acumen. “I had to tell him he was the best boy in the whole world. He did exactly what I said. He took my deal, so I had to eat it.” While perfect, happy Rascal trotted merrily beside him to the car, Richard thought, “Note to self: don’t make assumptions and omit the obvious details.”
Defining clear expectations is key to successful communication. Take responsibility for your role in every conversation, and remember that everyone has their own agenda. The balance between freedom and rules is a delicate thing. On this particular day, Rascal figured out how to have his “cake” and roll in it too. Whichever way you look at it, you’ve got to call that a win!