Mali teaches

[Hedgewitch]

Mali is my ISSR Shiloh Shepherd. I came today to try once again to put into words some of what I see when I watch Mali teach. I have tried to write before about but what she does but is so subtle it is hard to define and if you are not watching her, you could miss it happening.

When we first got her Steve and I decided we wanted to make sure she had lots of confidence as she was an only pup and was going to be taking on the big job of a service dog. I read many articles on raising a dogs confidence; as well as, research posts here on the forum and tried lots of different techniques. The ones that seemed to work best for Mali we did often, along with some of the things I did with my children when they were young. I spent a lot of time on the floor playing with her. After all, once I am down it is hard for me to get back up so I just stayed there.



Mali was always a puppy who liked to watch everything. Most puppies are interested in their surroundings but Mali wanted to watch more than her immediate surroundings, she was interested in as far as her eyes could see; and would take the time to watch everything. She was an extremely active pup who would sit quietly and just watch if something new happened. Once she digested all of the information she was off again. Mali rarely backed down from anything new from the first day we got her, no matter how big or loud it was. I will not take the time brag how quickly she learned as this post is more about what she did later and the beginning paragraphs are only a foundation of who she was rather than of what she knew.



When Mali was seven months old we went to pick up Rani at Ma's. The two of them hit it off right away. On the fifteen hour drive home I was a concerned as Mali refused to drink any water. No matter how much I coaxed her she would turn her nose up and prance away nervously . I was worried her was jealous of Rani. I could not have been more wrong. When we got home Mali ate and drank fine, as a matter of cat over the next few weeks I discovered that Mali did not drink as she wanted all of the water to be for Rani. In fact Mali had take Rani on as if she were her own pup. Not only did she insistently clean up after her, if Rani would lick Mali's muzzle Mali would regurgitate food for her. My first thought was YUCK! My second thought was a little more of a Hmmmmm. Mali is just a baby herself yet she has taken over the role of segregate parent of Rani so completely.



Not too long after we add Yuki to our pack and soon Mali is taking care of two little puppies. For the most part she is no longer regurgitating food; however she is still cleaning them insistently. Then one night she does something which for the first time catches me off guard. She plays a game with them, one I played with her, one I played with my children when they were babies.



Mali takes a chewy and places it on the floor while the pups are watching her, then she places a news paper over the chewy; the pups watch her as Mali steps back. Mali waits a few seconds then takes the paper off the chewy and retrieves the chewy. Mali does this three or four times as the puppies watch. Then she places the chewy down again and covers it up with the paper again and backs off; this time the puppies go and find the chewy. I am watching from the living room with my mouth open unable to say a word. This is just one small example of little games I have seen her set up for the puppies to learn.



Yuki has had a bit of a hard time as she has been very shy; and so in many ways she has been behind Rani in learning. I have had to take her out in the community a lot more; and so, much of what Mail has done with Rani she has not done with Yuki. This is not a bad thing as Yuki has come a long way. Her shyness has improved and she will never be an outgoing girl but we can settle for an aloof girl and be very happy with her. She and Steve are very close.



When the girl are out playing in the side yard and it is time to come in some times the puppies would not hear me calling they would be to engrossed in whatever scent had caught their attention. I do not walk well; and so, going get them is not always an option for me. Al I would have to do is tell Mali to go get the girls and she would turn around and do just that. She would head off to where the girl were and nose at them and then head back for the house with the two puppies running at her heals. Even now that they are older if we are at a dog park and it is time to leave I can send Mali off to get the girls when it is time to leave. I just tell her with a sweep of my arm and I head off towards the exit, where all three meet me ready to go.



I am going to skip over some of what Mail has done with Rani and go straight to what happened with Yuki a couple of months ago. Now that Yuki is feeling so much more confident, when she is in the living room she no longer just finds a place by my feet and settles happy to be there, she has decided she should explore the room and everything there is in it. Both Mali and Rani explored the room when they were younger and already know the places they are to stay away from, such as the electronics, lamps, and other breakables. Yuki; however, has no clue. Yuki by the way, is as large as Mali and a bit longer, and unlike Mali has little tail control. Basally she lumbers through my living room like a tank. Each time Yuki would go near a lamp, before I could say to her, "Not yours", Mali would beat me to it and either body block her with a groan or gently place her mouth over Yuki's mouth. Then guide her away from the lamp, or the TV, wires, my hutch and anything else where she would be either in danger of being hurt or in trouble if she broke something.



There are other little things Mali does to teach these girls; such as, let them put her to the ground. Even though she is the Alfa, she seems to understand the need to build their confidence, especially Yuki's, but to me these things about my girl Mali just jump right out and say look at me. My friends say I should type a book about her, and maybe one day I will after all she is only 17 months old, she has lots of years left to live.