In case you noticed I didn’t write a post last week, there is a reason for that, and her name is Spire. Spire is a 9-week-old Working Kelpie and new member of my family, and I picked her up in Texas last Tuesday.
I’ll admit, this last week has mostly gone by in a blur as I try to figure out how our new life works! Puppies in general are not for the faint of heart, and especially not these high-drive, high-needs working breed puppies.
When I raise a puppy (which I don’t do very often; Zi will be seven in less than two months), I take my responsibility to them very seriously. Mainly to do the best I can to meet their needs and provide a fulfilling daily experience, especially when they are so ill-equipped to cope with boring-ness and dissatisfaction. My first duty to this puppy is to raise her to be the most resilient, stable, and behaviorally-healthy dog she can be — agility is very secondary.
A few months ago I watched a friend’s puppy for a week and I remember thinking: I hope I can be this chill when the puppy is mine. This unbothered when I was planning a training session and the puppy doesn’t want my treats. This unconcerned when the puppy was playing so nicely with me and then walks away. This calm and neutral when the puppy barks at a strange bunch of dogs on a hike.
And well, I’m a little shocked to report that so far I have mostly been able to achieve that. So far I can tell my belief in myself and this puppy is quite real, because I’m actually not looking at every little thing as a potential disaster. I can’t tell you how much of a relief this is.
So I’m going to say something that feels extremely uncomfortable to say: I’m proud of myself for this. I’m proud of the work I’ve done on my mindset and mental game over the years since I brought Zi home. The me from back then would have really been drowning if Spire was hers.
It’s observations like this that make me want to shout the benefits of actively working on your mindset from the rooftops. For real, it may be the only thing in life I actually love almost as much as creating deep, magical, functional relationships with dogs and horses… creating a deep, magical, functional relationship with myself.
So that’s all for now from my admittedly puppy-addled brain. If you’re interested in learning more about Spire or following her training, make sure you’re following Agility Odyssey on Facebook!
