Relax

After a crazy day at work, and then a bunch of difficult rescue stuff that I was working on via email, it was time to spend some time with the dogs. At times this can be a chore - rotating through their prescribed play time/training time and then on to the next thing on my to do list. I'm embarrassed to say that sometimes I even set the timer because I've got so much going on that I don't want to be tempted to cut their playtime short.

The girls: Goofy Salinas and Stately Chima

Last night I just stopped though and tried to step outside that rut of "dog play time" being something to tick off on my to-do list. I laid on the ground on my stomach in the living room, for the most part left my camera alone, and just observed. Besides just being plain relaxing, lying prone like that is about as non-threatening as a person can be to a fearful dog.

Salinas of course immediately had to see what I was up to. She licked my face, mouthed my arm, sniffed my butt, and snorted my hair. Chima on the other hand was intrigued. First she stood across the room and just watched. Then she came from behind me and started sniffing me all over. The way to trust with that girl is through her nose, that's for sure. After she finished the sniffdown, it was like she blossomed in front of me. I watched from the floor as she played and threw toys around, dug through the toy bin for new and interesting things and then played some more. I felt like I was seeing her for the first time.

Video of Chima playing while I lie on the ground

Video of Chima squeaking the football

Where to Sal it is a big concern to her what her human is thinking and doing and that they aren't upset with her, Chima is more self-reliant and unless she really trusts a person, they aren't going to get far. Sal will kiss you to death whereas Chima will give you a full sniff over and then sit back and observe you. Both girls so very different and yet the best of friends. Salinas threw herself at me, wanting attention and willing to show me all she has to give to get it. Chima on the other hand made me earn the right to know her and I love them both for their individual approaches.

Tonight I learned that Chima likes to squeak things; she sounds like Chewbacca when she really gets into playing with a toy; she loves to shake toys and to chew on toys that have a bit of give to them. She has an amazing amount of power in the 28 pounds she is carrying around and I can see that once she gets the extra five pounds of weight off she will be even more of a powerhouse. She may look like a tank but the girl can turn on a dime and come to a full stop from a high speed run without even the least little skid.

Salinas showed she was relaxed by doing the opposite of Chima. Her nervous behavior is shown in her constant movement and need for attention and physical contact. By the end of our "play time" she had gone over to the couch and was lying there, watching Chima play. It was as if they had switched places. I was fascinated!

The payoff for me letting go of control and letting the dogs decide the direction of our time together? Right before I was going to get up I was sitting with my back against the fireplace hearth and a dog walked onto my lap and half sat/half stood there. I assumed it was Salinas since she loves always having a close physical connection to her person. Nope - it was Chima! For the first time she sought out physical contact on her own. It was a great reward for me and was that addictive positive reinforcement I needed to make me want to try this all over again.