Our Journey
by Angelica Steinker, M.Ed.

I remember the first time I saw you.  You had a nice smell to you.  You looked at me with soft eyes and your face was soft and round when you reached out to pick me up.  You laughed when I licked your face.  You made some noises with your mouth and gave the lady some green stuff that had been touched by a lot of people and then I went with you.

At your place I got to see a new house and smell lots of interesting stuff like the grass in your yard and all the hundreds of toys you had lying around just for me.  Everything I did made you happy because you laughed at everything I did.

After a few days your mood changed.  You started to make this "nnnoooo" noise.  I have no clue what the noise means but I know that usually something bad happens when I hear it, so I don't like the noise.  Also when you make this noise you make this scrunched up face.  I am sick of the noise and you make it so much that everything I seem to do is connected to this noise.  I don't understand what has changed.

Slowly things improved.  I still didn't understand most of what you did, but I got calmer and less interested in chewing and that seemed to make you really happy.  I thought that was strange because I was having a really good time with the butt tucking around the house and chewing everything I could get my teeth on, but it is nice that you are happier now.  I like it when you are happy.

The Calling
I am older now.  I am getting to be a big dog.  I am getting the calling now.  I have tried to explain to you and even tried to get you to join in, but you are not interested.  Seems to me we are from different worlds.  The calling happens almost all the time when I am outside.  I try to resist because you don't like it, but it is most powerful.  The squirrels are the worst for me.  When the squirrels dart in front of me or I see one outside the window the internal pull starts.  All this noise comes out of my mouth, I start to shake, and my heart pounds.  The calling is so exciting.  I think if you tried it you would probably really like it.  When the calling happens I feel like I can do anything.  I feel like I could run forever.

Soon you got really upset about the calling.  You would really scrunch up your face badly when I pulled you and got loose.  When I finally would come back to you, I would be sorry that I did because you were so scrunched up in the face.  I would try to apologize but you just stayed scrunched up in the face.  The last time I pulled you, the calling was really strong, and you fell over.  I felt like I could run forever.  As usual when I came back to you, you had the scrunched up face.  At home you flipped through a catalog real fast and dialed a number.  You did all this while you were still all scrunched up, I tried to make peace but you would not even talk to me.  I tried to explain again about the calling but you are from a different world, I am sure about that now.

I have thought about leaving.  I have thought about just living outdoors and following the calling. 

Days later, this box arrived.  I thought nothing of it at the time.  Just another box like other ones you had gotten.  You messed with the box and what was inside a lot and then you put this brand new collar on me.  First I was real proud.  I was thinking this might be a new beginning for us and that now we would start chasing squirrels together.  Boy was a wrong.  That collar somehow really did not like me.  When I would move a certain way it would make a little noise and then my neck would hurt and I couldn't help but yelp.  At first I thought the pain was coming out of nowhere.  But I'm not stupid, I soon figured out it was the new collar.  But the whole thing got worse.  As I continued to gather information about this thing around my neck I began to realize that it was somehow connected to something you held in your hand.  At first I thought I must be wrong.  I didn't want it to be true.  I knew that you were more scrunched up with me than not, but you still petted me, fed me and took care of me.  I started to panic, I wanted to get away from you and every time I tried, the collar would make that little noise and I would have to let out an involuntarily yelp.

The whole thing was like a nightmare, but then you started to make your face wet.  You sat down on the ground and your face got wetter.  I thought this was strange so I sat and watched you for a while.  I was real scared to go close and get the scrunched up face again, plus I didn't want to make anymore involuntary yelps.  After a while I slowly snuck up to you.  This made you make more water come out of your eyes, and you gently reached for me.  You hugged me and petted me it felt so good.  I had to get real happy and lick your face.  You scratched and rubbed me and then you took the collar off and threw it many feet from us.  I liked that.  It impressed me.

Renaissance

We went home and you grabbed that catalog again and dialed real fast.  I was starting to get worried, but your face did not scrunch up.  I think you saw that I was worrying, because you asked me to come to you and when I did you scratched me some more in my favorite spot.  It was so good my leg had to wiggle.

A few days later another box arrived.  I got a little wary about it, but then you opened it and it was huge and filled with all this interesting stuff.  You got it all out and started to play with me.  Then it happened you pulled out the toy.  This toy, I don't know what it is about it, but when you get it out I can't control myself.  I start to shake I get so excited and my heart pounds.  You dragged the toy on the ground and my dream came true, we were both chasing, we were both playing with the calling.

Now I always come to you because when I do you pull out that toy and we feel like we could run forever.

Authors note:
This article intentionally humanizes the canine character to encourage owners and trainers to use fun and play training techniques, that are force and pain free.  Dogs are very individual and it will depend on your dog which toy, game or treat is most exciting and helps you find "the calling".  Your dog's breeding will effect which type of toy is likely to elicit "the calling".  For a sight hound it might be a toy tied to a string, for a terrier it might be a rat-like squeaky toy, and for a herding dog it might be a tug toy.  Playing with your dog will be the only way to discover which game is the most fun.   As trainers we are challenged to help owners find the reinforcers that trigger "the calling" in their dog. 

ALIGN="JUSTIFY">© Copyright 1998 Angelica Steinker, M.Ed.
Author gives permission to print out and distribute this article for educational purposes providing both the author and this website (www.courteouscanine.com) are cited.