On Dog Training

I think admitting your dog has trained you in anything is something one should keep private. Accordingly, most of my conversations regarding education and my dog revolve around my teaching her a trick or two. This is mostly not true, though she does humour me by submitting herself to my encouragements.

Mostly it’s my dog who has trained me to respond to her individual sounds or actions, such as whining to tell me I need to feed her and the pawing at the door to go out. She also bullies me for playtime, car rides, food scraps, and to sleep on top of me. She determines when I need to get up in the morning, and is pretty good at signaling it’s time for me to go to bed. However, recently she taught me something new that will enhance my life.

I’m sure you’ve heard of various relaxing techniques from the experts. There are umpteen books written on how to meditate, activate, cogitate, conjugate, and educate oneself into a state of total peace and relaxation. They all claim to put our troubles and fears at bay while allowing ourselves to relax in peace. Mayo Clinic tells us that practicing relaxation techniques can achieve better heart rate, lower blood pressure, and reduced muscle tension.

If my dog had fingers she might have written a note about this long ago. As it is, I learned the Dog Relaxation Technique by simply observing her demonstrations. It’s just another lesson from her in the Human-See-Human-Do School of Education. So, here it is, free of charge:

Lie down, and about three seconds later, inhale deeply then exhale as if it were the last breath of life.

When you do it the “dog way” you will feel a total relaxation spread over your mind and body. Dogs do it every time they lay down—I think they have been passing it on from parent to puppy. You can even do it while standing or sitting, though you’re missing a percentage of the benefit. Don’t believe me? Try it now. Breath in……now exhale. See?

I’m sorta excited about what I may be taught next.