Buffy Graduates!!!

Buffy graduated from Puppy Class !!!

She demonstrated three different commands without using food as a lure and completed the course. It’s official, there’s even a certificate (however we are still waiting for the transcript request to go through).

When Diana first brought up the idea of taking Buffy to a puppy class, it seemed like a great idea. Buffy can learn some tricks, get to know some other dogs and a good time would be had by all.

Once class got started, the story was a little different. First off, Buffy didn’t have a spectacular first class (which I wrote about in this post). As much fun as it was, it was a lot of work, not only for Buffy but for Diana and I. There was homework, assessment by our instructor and an organized and structured class. All of this to help teach our dog how to follow a couple commands, really?

Here’s the thing, teaching your dog commands is so much than a party trick. The main reason to take your puppy to class and learn how to train your dog is to raise a dog that you enjoy living with. No one likes to walk into a friends house and be attacked by his or her dogs. No one enjoys being pulled down the street when walking a dog and no one enjoys having their house be chewed up or worse covered in dog poo. Training can solve all of these things.

Yes, dogs have unique individual personalities and you can’t train the personality out of a dog. However, most dogs, regardless of how timid or crazy they are can be trained to be a dog that’s a pleasure to live with and not a nuisance. While having a dog that doesn’t do things that you don’t want it to do is a nice practical bonus, it’s really not the most meaningful thing you get from learning how to train your dog.

Buffy talks to Diana and I all the time. It’s not just barking, but it’s in her groans, whines, and little squeaks. She’s almost sounds like R2-D2 sometimes when she’s trying to communicate to us. Even though we are getting better at recognizing what she is saying with her sounds at this point, it’s still pretty much guessing. And as much as Diana and I talk to Buffy, she has no idea what we are talking about most of the time. However, when I command Buffy to sit and she sits, we are having a conversation.

It’s an amazing feeling with a simple command to realize that you don’t need a common spoken language to communicate. For a split second, Buffy knows exactly what I’m saying and she’s letting me know that she understands.

More often that not I’m guessing what Buffy needs and she’ trying to figure out what I‘m talking about (which really isn’t all that different than the way most of my friends interact with me). It’s funny but it keeps us at a distance. Nothing in relationships separates people more than a lack of communications. On the other hand, nothing brings people together like being able to understand each other.

Every time I give a command to Buffy and she does what I ask, I feel like I’m getting just a little bit closer to my little girl. Sometimes it’s not the content of a conversation but simply spending the time to talk that shows how much you care. Hopefully Buffy understands how much I care about her, because she continues to tell me with every look, chirp and sit how much she cares about me.