Dark Clouds

Today I was reminded of how your mood effects your dog. I have tried to keep this in mind while loose leash walking with Henri, but today I struggled.

Even though it was five o'clock in the morning, you could tell that it was extra dark out. The moon was covered by dark clouds and there was lightning flashes in the distance. We started to walk anyway. 

Shortly after waking up, my back started to ache. Maybe ache isn't the right word. I might have started as an ache, but quickly progressed to a locked up, can't bend over, can't put pressure on it pain. It really hurt to walk, but I was hoping it would loosen up as we went along. The problem was that with every little tug from Henri, pain went shooting up and down my back so I had to walk slower. I kept corrected him when he pulled, but I was getting more and more frustrated with Henri. 

And then it started to sprinkle. 

Your dog picks up on your energy and state of mind. When walking your dog it is communicated to your dog through the leash. Remaining calm in all situations is very important for the safety of both you and your dog. For example, if you're nervous, your dog my become anxious or protective, sometimes leading to aggression. 

I know that Henri didn't understand why we were moving so slow. I know that he could read my energy. The dark clouds reflected my mood. I was frustrated with him and he was pulling to try to stay away from me. On top of that, a runner had gone by the opposite direction with a head lamp on, startling me a little. Henri kept looking anxiously in every direction. At this rate, we were never going to make it home before it poured.

I stopped Henri. I took a few breaths, both for the pain and to relax myself. I loosened up on Henri's leash for the hundredth time. Then we started walking again, thinking happy thoughts. You know, that stuff really works! Henri didn't pull, even when we didn't take our normal turn and kept going to head back home. 

I'm sure that my pain and frustration with being in pain made me a little less patient with Henri. I'm usually able to remain calm and even when at the dog park, passing dogs barking in their backyard or even when passing the weeping willow leaves, for Henri. He needs me to help him stay in the right state of mind so he can be successful and happy. I apologized to Henri once we got going smoothly again and even though it hurt, got down to his level and gave him extra lovin's when we got home. He was worth it.