Learning Lessons

My new pup has many lessons to learn, although she has come a long way from the day she came to live here. Of course, potty training has been a significant focus. Unbelievably, she has picked up on this most critical skill quickly. She only gets up once during the night and alerts me that she needs to go out now, and she mostly just has an occasional poo accident.

She is still exploring outside. Little does she know that some things should not be messed with during her outings. Sniffing at the grass, biting the grass, running circles around the tree, and seeing how far she can go are all important to her.

Tonight, the barn cats were teaching a lesson. She playfully approached them. They had been lying on the basketball court. When they saw her, they stood up, their hair stood on end, and they arched up their backs in defense. Yes, this little, five-pound puppy put them on alert. She danced around them and playfully barked, wanting them to chase her. The cats were no-nonsense, holding their pose. They hissed and maintained their posture. One of them jumped forward at her with the paw extended. My pup was going to take a whack from this cat. She ran behind me to hide as if it were a game. Dear puppy, these cats are barn cats. They do not mess around! She approached them again, but this time, she was not as lucky. The cat scratched at her. Luckily, she has a lot of fur, so there was no harm; however, she cowered and ran to the porch this time. Lesson learned. Don’t mess with the barn cats. They are thugs.

It would have been so easy to just reach down and remove my pup from the line of fire. Would she learn anything? My guess is she would not. Letting her live the experience is much like raising our children. We are so tempted to step in and remove the child from harm’s way. Those who are allowed to learn from experience and guidance can generally succeed in life. As I observe mothers in various scenarios as a retired principal, it has been interesting to see the different approaches taken. Some moms pay intense attention to every move. Their children may not possess the necessary survival skills for the future. I think educators refer to these moms as ‘helicopter moms.’ Then there are the moms who are watching but do allow their children to experience things by trial and error within reason. These are our “guiding” moms. Moms who pay no attention to their children’s actions usually have children who lack a sense of boundaries. The children continue to do the same things over and over because there are no boundaries or guidance. These children are sometimes referred to as “feral”.

It is interesting to study human behavior, and I suppose pet behaviors are not far behind.

Later…