To All the Dogs I've Loved Before (Part 6): Watson

But I digress...March 2026 edition

Watson turned nine on Friday. If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you know I have a series going titled To All the Dogs I’ve Loved Before. The prior installments have always been posthumous, (you can read about Jet HERE) but with Watson, I’m choosing to write about him now, because of the enduring lessons he’s taught me.

Here are the top three:

LESSON #1: love can’t be conditional.

After getting my first dog, a spunky golden retriever named Molly (you can read about her HERE), my whole attitude about dog ownership changed. Molly was intended to be a calming influence in a life that was more than typically stressful. Because of my ignorance around her pedigree, I ended up with a dog with strong field lines. Translation: high drive. Molly was the dog that introduced me to dog sports.

I chose every subsequent dog based on my new obsession with dog sports. These choices would be hit or miss. Josie = miss. Casey Mae = HUGE HIT. Jet = miss.

It’s a terrible comparison, but I’ve watched humans set high goals and expectations for their kids. And not all kids meet those goals and expectations. Because they’re not meant to. The pressure to perform can be crippling.

Watson could be considered a miss, given what I’d hoped to accomplish with him. In fact, a person I trained with actually suggested I rehome him. Many in the retriever game treat their dogs in this manner. It’s one of several reasons I’ve given up that sport.

As he’s gotten older, I keep thinking of parents with special-needs kids. You don’t send them to another home. You love them just as they are. And Watson is special needs. I learned this when I attempted a cognitive test with him for the Dog Aging Project. I learned about this cool endeavor when Watson was a puppy and enrolled him. He “failed” the first year we attempted the test and he’s “failed” every year since. I wondered if it could be operator error, but when I ran Fuji on it, he pretty much aced it.

Which brings me to my second lesson:

LESSON #2: I have very good instincts and need to trust them.

With both Jet and Watson, I was unduly influenced by people I looked up to and considered friends. I have a proven track record of enmeshing with people I have no business trusting and my open heart has brought me several painful betrayals.

Baby Watson came to my attention through one such person. This person accompanied me on the five-plus hour trip to pick him up. When we pulled in, the breeder opened the front door and five or six puppies came charging out. As we approached to greet them, Watson ran away. The rest of the litter mobbed us excitedly.

“I don’t like this,” I said to my friend.

“Just settle down,” was what I received in return.

The scorn with which this admonition was delivered convinced me that I was overreacting. That my instincts were incorrect. However, things did not improve. It took a very long time for Baby Watson to warm up to either of us. That was when I should have walked away. He was not a confident puppy and I needed a confident puppy.

Looking back, it was a combination of desperation and surrendering to someone I’d looked up to, but would later discover was toxic. Through therapy, I’ve come to understand why I would allow myself to be treated that way, but that’s for another post. Suffice to say, I was raised by a mother who conditioned me to constantly second-guess myself.

And so, despite my misgivings, I handed over a hefty check and packed Baby Watson into Josie’s old crate. To his credit, he didn’t scream all the way home, as Jet had when he was a baby. As soon as we arrived, the neighbors came over and he proceeded to growl at them. At nine weeks old. I would spend the next year attempting to socialize him and expose him to any and everything.

He still growls at children.

When we started formal training for our sports, I worked with several of the best trainers I’ve had the good fortune to know. The confounding question we would always face was: does he not understand the thing, or does he not want to do the thing?

Nine years later, I’m still not sure, but it feels like more of the latter. But then there’s that cognitive test, so, who really knows?

LESSON #3: giving up is okay.

Like Jet before him, Watson peaked early. The aforementioned “friend” who convinced me I was overreacting to his fearfulness also told me a year or so later that I’d never get any further with him than I had with my other dogs.

Like, who does that?

I remember responding: “I guess I’ll have to prove you wrong.”

Which I did.

But at some point, the joy evaporated from training and competing. I never seemed to develop any sense of consistency from session to session. Nor did I feel supported in our efforts. When Fuji came along, I realized that it wasn’t me. Like the cognitive test, Fuji excelled in everything I taught him.

Watson participated in his last agility class in 2022 and ran his last hunt test in 2023. By that point we’d earned four of the five passes needed for his Master title, but he’d been unable to control himself when live birds were shot down. I can’t say I blame him, but it’s a required component. He was a great flushing dog and enjoyed upland style hunting. The hunt test/field trial game favors pro-trained dogs. For better or for worse, I was Watson’s only trainer and I’m very proud of all we achieved.

Dogs don’t care about titles. They just want to be with their people.

These days, Watson’s favorite things to do are eating, napping, and searching for deer poop on our morning and afternoon walkabouts. I think he’s content with his situation. I’m grateful to say: so am I.

Until next month,

~Debbie

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AUTHOR UPDATES:

I hit the one third mark on the new novel. It’s been challenging to keep regular writing hours, as I’ve found myself quite busy and, for about a week, I was under the weather. But I’m making progress. Still hoping to get it to the editor next month.

I also have two events scheduled this month:

On March 14th at 2:00 p.m., I’ll be at the Rosemount Writer’s Festival, presenting along with two other authors on the various paths to publishing. It will be educational for anyone who’s written a book and wants to get it into the world.

On March 29th, I’ll be at the Mora Spring Market, selling and signing copies of my book! If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and say hi!

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MARCH BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

Nonfiction: As a Dog Thinketh: Daily Words of Wisdom for Dog People by Monique Anstee.

I’ve consumed too many books, articles and videos to count, but Monique is a really thoughtful trainer. I was lucky enough to be in a small online training group with her during Covid. Watson and I worked on “fronts” for obedience. He hated the pressure of getting up close and tight. Obedience people will understand.

FICTION: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

In the interests of transparency, I recommended this book in the third issue of my newsletter, four years ago. I don’t have the emotional fortitude to read most dog books like this right now, but you should! Here’s a little bonus information: it was temporarily banned by a Texas School District in 2014. You can read an interview with the author Garth Stein HERE.