When my children were in grade school, we got our beloved Liska, a white Spitz puppy. She looked – and pounced – like an Arctic fox and was a fabulous companion and playmate in our country home.
Of course she always knew when we were preparing to head out for a walk down our country road – what dog doesn’t? But there was another stranger thing. Sometimes I would be finishing the kitchen cleanup and think to myself, “I need to give Liska a bath.” At the moment she would be dozing nearby. By the time I finished the cleanup, she was nowhere to be found.
Normally responsive to my calling, she uncharacteristically did not come to me. Nor could I locate her visually anywhere. Hmmm…. what happened? 
No bath of course.
Eventually she’d reappear. When this happened repeatedly I looked harder. I found her on the floor deep under our queen-sized bed, in the middle, too far for my arm to reach. She never went there normally, but there she was.
As I pondered all this, I realized she was picking up on my mental intention to bathe her – which she didn’t like. So, when the “intention” faded out, she resurfaced.
I had to find a way to keep my mind clear of thoughts of “bath” and just pick her up. That was challenging, but over the years, I managed to do it often enough that she was usually nice-smelling. It still amazed me that she could read my mind in that way.
Fast-forward to now. Stan and I find ourselves raising a lovely white Spitz (officially American Eskimo miniature) puppy, now just under 4 months old. Desperate to solve problems, be good doggie parents and eventually have a well-mannered companion, I’m reading two puppy books and watching films.
Here’s what I have learned so far. In All Dealings with Puppies, you must:
1. be clear and unconflicted in your intent
2. project only a calm, assertive energy (manage your energy); use body language as well
3. praise acceptable behaviors, ignore most unwanted behaviors.
4. use words only after these conditions are met.
Do you see it?
When I read this list, I can substitute Your Life, for Puppies. These are the same principles I’m working on in the rest of my life.
Who knew?
Well, probably Cesar Millan for one… and the Monks of New Skete. But I sure did not.
Raising a puppy – successfully- is a profound spiritual practice. With immediate feedback. Unlike Life, which can be a bit slow, a puppy is a downright instant biofeedback machine.
Upset? Angry? Nervous? Puppy is unsettled, frenetic, chewing and biting.
Calm, assertive, loving? Puppy is cooperative, relaxed.
Puppy can “read my mind,” just like Life does.
Wow. If I had known this I would have saved myself a lot of grief and got a puppy years ago.