Oh how I love my playtime in the field!! BB, 24 wks old
BB is such an easy puppy to satisfy. Two or three 10 minute exploring sessions in the field is all it takes. He gets tired fast, having to work so hard at running about. But he enjoys it immeasurably, getting all bright eyed and content. Puppy play is just as satisfying to the human, too, if you let it be.
Puppies can make you want to crawl out of your hide with frustration, but if you let it go and play with them, you wind up with a lingering sense of joy and fun. Dogs “live in the moment”. They don’t think about having just gotten in trouble, or whether or not you’ll give them a new bone in the morning. It’s all about will you play with me right now.
Dogs live for right now, for what’s right in front of their nose. And they will find a way to have fun everytime. That lack of rational thought is why they are so much more trainable than we are! Oh they problem solve, no doubt, but they don’t think about later or go over memories that might have been good or not good. I have yet to meet a dog who mulls over how much they don’t like what someone just did to them, and plan to bite them next time!
They don’t decide ahead of time how they will respond, as we do. Dogs simply react, according to habits set by past experience. Give them different experiences, and the reactions change. We have a tendency to hold onto the bad stuff, no matter how much good stuff we add into the equation.
Lord, how I wish I could do that! One of the best things about our little people whispering BB is he has a magic way of getting people into his fun. I always come back with a relaxed, joyful energy after playing with BB! I don’t even see his withered back end, caught up in his huge personality and bright eyes. I mean, look at that pic above and tell me it didn’t make you smile!
“A closed fist cannot take hold of an offered gift…”
