This month, my 22-year-old daughter came home from her apartment 20 minutes away, and said she was spending the month at home and, here’s the best part, getting a puppy.
Have you ever succeeded in talking a 22-year-old out of anything? I haven’t either.
As we looked at breeds and their traits, I found several reasons why every dog from a German shepherd to a Chihuahua was not a good fit. After I rationalized how 50 breeds were a terrible fit for her, she realized there was no point in trying to find the perfect dog with me.
I wasn’t trying to help her find the right breed, I was trying to talk her out of anything with four legs and a tail.
She skipped the talking and went on to the buying. Could I please go with her to pick up her new Shiba Inu puppy? After our thoughtful conversations about each breed, she picked a puppy that is rated one of the top three most challenging to train.
I got in the car to pick up the puppy because she agreed to meet a total stranger at Deception Pass Bridge with hundreds of dollars in cash in her pocket. I went because we live in a crazy world, and it’s never good to go to any bridge anywhere with hundreds of a dollars to meet a stranger.
As we drove to Deception Pass Bridge, I was thinking in my head about how my daughter really knows nothing about puppy training and how I trained all of our dogs. Just as I was thinking about what would be involved in puppy training, my daughter asked if I would teach her how to train the puppy.
She said, “Be my Obi-Wan Kenobe and I’ll be your Anakin Skywalker. Show me what to do.”
It was pretty to easy to imagine her taking on a puppy as long as she was fully willing to learn how to train the puppy. We picked up the puppy and then a crate, food, halter, leash, chewy things and toys.
I thought about the best book ever on dog training, it is called “The Art of Raising a Puppy” by the Monks of New Skete. The monks in New York are renowned for dog training at their monastery for the past 40 years.
People come for all over the world to learn how to train from the New Skete monks. At the end of June this year they released an updated version of the book. It’s truly a great book, and their book “How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend” is one of my favorite books ever.
Together, my daughter and I read the New Skete monks’ puppy training book. I watched her follow every single thing the monks suggested. I wasn’t really needed. There is an art to parenting and knowing when to not say anything.
She and this puppy are a fine match. The Shiba Inu is highly intelligent, loyal and bold. These are things I would say about my daughter as well. She wanted a companion, a willing running partner and someone to protect her. This dog will be all that and more.
My daughter is devoting the time and energy to truly caring for her puppy and seems to understand the enormous dependency and responsibility. She’ll be returning to her own place to live, well equipped to give her puppy everything it needs.
It was a great idea to spend a month together puppy training. All I really had to do was go for a drive to Deception Pass Bridge and read a wonderful book by the New Skete monks. She did the rest.
Sarri Gilman is a freelance writer living on Whidbey Island and director of Leadership Snohomish County. Her column on living with meaning and purpose runs every other Tuesday in The Herald. You can email her at features@heraldnet.com.
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