Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships with Dogs by Suzanne Clothier Page B

against. It had never dawned on her that
she might be contributing to the problem; she had viewed
this solely as the dog's problem.
Any of us would take a dim view of someone who was
dragging their dog or a child down the street-it is an
act that speaks to the person's insensitivity to or
lack of respect for the dog or child they are towing. But
we don't think twice about the dog whose person
allows him to pull them down the street. We don't
think about the lack of respect implicit in the act
of pulling, or the lack of leadership that allows it.
Simply put, we may move through life spending
far too much time simply tied to our dogs by the length
of our leash, not bound to them through an investment of our
attention.
At this most simple level of moving together, we
reveal the courtesy and respect at work in the
quiet unplanned moments of life. I am never as
    interested in how two work together on a
specific task as I am in how they are together in the
in-between moments, when no focus or goal drives
or shapes their behavior. Focus on a
task-especially one that is enjoyable or so demanding
that attention is literally consumed by the effort
required-can conceal a great deal and give the false
impression that all is well. Don't show me what
your dog can do when you give him a command; just show me
how you and he walk down the street together, and I'll
know much more.
When a high degree of quality exists, it is
unmistakable. There is attentiveness that flows between
the two partners, a mutuality and respect that is
evident in everything they do. Simple gestures
reveal a world and say more than we may realize about
a relationship. And whether we do so consciously or
not, we look at the quality of connection itself
to evaluate the relationships we see around us. What
I see in a dog and person walking together is a
rough blueprint for the relationship, a brief
overview of the quality of the connection between person and
dog. I do not pretend or assume that these
glimpses into how people and dogs walk together is
indicative of the whole relationship. But long
experience has taught me that this is a
surprisingly reliable predictor for what else will
be revealed as I learn more about the relationship.
"How can you judge the connection between dog and person
based on just that?" the reader protests. "All you are
seeing is the dog when he's excited, going somewhere
new, stimulated by the new setting or other dogs
or the activity around him."
And I would answer, "Yes, that is precisely
what I am seeing, along with how the human in the
equation deals with the dog in that situation, how the dog and
person work together."
A client, Margaret, arrives at the farm for a
consultation with her fifteen-month-old German
Shepherd, Luger. On the phone she has told
me about their difficulties in working in a class
situation, how her dog barks and lunges at other
dogs, and how inconsistent he is in his obedience work
despite his considerable intelligence and athletic
ability. When she can get his attention, he's cooperative, but
keeping his attention on her is difficult. She
has high hopes for Luger, but she needs help
dealing with these training problems.
    I stand on the porch, watching as she opens
the car door. Luger lunges for the opening, but
Margaret is prepared for this. She deftly catches
the dog by the collar and wrestles him back into the car,
using her body to block his escape route while she
puts on his leash. It appears that she's quite
practiced in these maneuvers. The word "stay"
drifts to me; though it is muffled the first few times,
by the tenth time the volume has been turned up, and
I'm pretty sure I've heard it correctly.
At last she steps back, and a black-and-tan
bullet shoots from the car, nose to the ground and moving
fast. Dragged along behind him like unwanted baggage
is Margaret, fighting to stay on her feet and
control Luger at the same time.
"He's