The AKC missive for week 35–yup that’s how old The Brown One is–warns of regression in training and implores the good dog owner to review even the simplest of commands.

Random fetch sesh at Sandy Beach yesterday…

As always, I find myself wondering if we’re gaining or losing ground. Cedar’s response to COME lately is often a “Yeah, I’m coming Dad, right after I sniff this, chew that, peek around the corner… and yeah, here I come (slow saunter).” Often she waits for my mean voice, which actually tends to work these days. In the end, she mostly gets the job done.

State of the State: Week 35

I’m reminded of my principal days. I had a supervisor who was big on implementing canned programs with “fidelity” but when that made absolutely no sense (as in most of the time), he would back off and say some things required “loose” management, other things “tight.” (Another post some day on that horrible co-opting of the beautiful word, “fidelity.”)

A dog walker I encountered on Sandy Beach the other day spoke about an obedience instructor who insisted that a dog should NEVER be off leash, unless in an enclosed area. Now that is tight. I’m on the loose end of the spectrum, as I probably was as a teacher, thinking that “lessons” will find their way to expression eventually, even if they don’t seem to stick right away. My buddy Jeff and I called that “teaching by osmosis” (or radiation)…Like, eventually the “kids” will mature enough to “get it” … and the experience has a half-life…but it’s better to move on than perseverate and bore or frustrate us all.

Yesterday, neighbor Buck noticed Cedar keeping a loose leash as we met up (Buck with girl-toddler June and dog-toddler Midnight) while “Middie” strained against her leash. I hadn’t even realized Cedar was being nice and chill.

Cedar spends a majority of our time outside off-leash these days . And because I like it that way, that’s the way it’s going to be (unless one of us really screws up). We’ll keep working on the recall (have a had a good couple of HEELS with distraction lately, after a kind of miserable fail trying to keep her away from a skate skier who passed us up the other day). Maybe I just shouldn’t let that happen.

I’ll leave you with part of this Amos Lee tune (smart musician who quit teaching after a year), whom I’d rather listen to than my old boss. Keep it loose, friends.