I often observe my dog and her ability to be so purely present in the moment. She is able to demonstrate in very simple and clear ways things that are very challenging for a human being to master. I’ve decided to write the lessons down and share them as they come to me. Here’s the first one!

Lesson #1: When you get something good, expect more good and it will come.

How this works:

I give my dog a treat of some sort as an appreciative gesture for action on her part – a pat on the head, a belly rub, a game of chase, a small piece of human food that she likes or a liver treat, an antler chew, a ball, a toy that squeaks, an old tea towel that she can rip to shreds, an ice cube even. All of these are things that she’s communicated to me that she likes very much with her body language, attention to them and attitude of “me like; me want more!”

After getting something good, she sits in eagerness of more good to come. She is certain it will come and she is willing to wait however long it takes. She does this with everyone that she encounters.

Her expectation of more good stuff to come results in:

1. People having the desire to give her more;
2. Actually getting more of what she likes;
3. And, if it so happens that there is no more in this particular moment, everyone looks for opportunities to give her more at their earliest convenience.

She is so good at expecting more good and demonstrating appreciation for the good that comes her way, that when something that she thinks of as “not good” makes an appearance she lets go of it or tries to get away from it very quickly. Then she goes right back to looking for the good stuff that she knows that life has to offer.

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This post is part of a Human Learning & Dog Training series.

As the old saying goes: “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.”

About the teacher:

Sonnet is a old lab mix (of many things). Since “dog” is “god” spelled backwards, I decided to respect our true dynamic. She teaches me how to practice “blissipline” (being committed to experiencing bliss each day; and practicing the expansion of my capacity for bliss and being open to receiving it in any moment). Sonnet is a “blissiplinarian” (a being who enforces pleasure and invites opportunities for more pleasure) and I am her “blissciple” (I aspire to master the art of blissipline).

Thanks Rob Brezsny for the terminology.

More in the series:
Dog Training Lesson #2: We Create Our Own Delays