On Making a Joyful Noise
I have a 2 ½ year old Flat Coated Retriever named Jet. One of the traits that attracted me to this breed was their “Peter Pan” (read: never grows up) personality. Jet has more than embodied that trait, although at only 2 ½, he is still legitimately a youngster.
As a baby boy, he was a big barker. When we would pull up to the training facility for class, any class, he would begin barking like crazy in his crate. When we got home from anywhere, he would launch himself into the back yard barking away. As he got older, he would bark when I got home, even after I would release him from the room where he had been all day. He would just bounce around me and bark. In the morning as we made our way to the back door for the dogs to go out for the first time, he would bark. I have come to interpret his barking as: ISN'T THIS GREAT? I AM SO DARN HAPPY I SIMPLY CANNOT CONTAIN MYSELF!
When we started field training, I quickly learned that barking was a big no-no. This has posed some challenges for me, given that Jet loves field training just as much as he loves everything else in his life. It has been hard for me to stifle the noise when I know it comes from a place of joy.
So I have my work cut out for me. We are entering the next stage of competition in the field arena and having a “good hunting dog” is a must. Which means a QUIET hunting dog. My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to help Jet achieve a calm and quiet state of being without smothering his joy.
I look forward to this challenge.