My Inner Terrier

There is something important you may not know about me, I am a reformed cat person. My life was greatly enriched by the addition of Clover, my Wheaten Terrier and constant companion. He has taught me much, one thing in particular is that I am actually a Terrier myself. I always say, God knew what he was doing when he put the two of us together.

We returned to Germany from a few years living in Belgium when Clover was about 2 years old. We lived a quiet rural life in Belgium and other than Clover’s big city brother, Bosco who lives in Brussels, he had little contact with other creatures of his own kind. Being a cat person I never knew how great the importance of socializing with other dogs was in the canine world. I always thought…wasn’t I enough?

Quickly we started to see the error of our ways and Clover began to have aggression issues. At one point we actually asked ourselves did we just get a bum dog or a bad breed. We read all the books, we watched the Dog Whisperer….why wasn’t anything we were doing reaching him.

Luckily I met a woman who had a similar issue with her dog and she recommended a local trainer and dog group. CLF,Canis lupus familiaris is a mobile dog school in the Rhine Neckar area of Germany and their Leader or Alpha is a woman named Helga. Her ability to read dogs is just amazing and she and her partner, the soft spoken and obeyed by all canine is Dirk. Together they have created this group and started a monthly Hundewanderung or dog wander.

When Helga suggested to me that I lighten up on the leash and perhaps introduce my aggressive Terrier to her “pack”, my stomach dropped. Would he ever come back to me if I let him off the leash…wouldn’t he attack the other dogs out of fear? She explained to me how my fears were creating a serious issue with my best friend and I needed to get them under control, so I could help Clover have a better life.

Once a month her pack meets on a Sunday morning for a long walk in the forest and then a nice meal together in a restaurant. She calls ahead to let the place know there will be a large group plus dogs. It is all organized beautifully.

On that first Sunday of the month, we arrived at the meeting point deep in the Odenwald national forest on a bitter winter’s day. I think you could smell our nervousness and fear in the car….I am sure Clover could. What must he have been thinking when he looked out the back of the car on that morning at a pack of dogs milling about and people sipping warm spiced apple juice. HOW would I ever let him out of the car….is this even possible for my “Special needs” dog?

Helga approached us and said it is fine let him out on his leash….as all the other dogs were on their leashes still. In this situation it is important that if one is on leash they all are as it is the leash that creates the aggression. Part of the fight or flight response. Everyone gathered and Helga climbed up on a rock to see over the crowd. It was a small group she said on this day…only 40 plus dogs. They can get upwards of 60 on a nice weekend and then double that with people. She then explained the rules to us, that if we see a walker or runner all dogs must go to the right side of the path and sit and wait to be released again.

Then it was time, she signaled for me to release Clover…I tried to breath normal but I remember looking into my husbands face with a look of “ARE WE DOING THE RIGHT THING?”. With a breath I released the clasp and off he went. He ran in a perfect circle around me like he was in orbit. Slowly a few dogs joined him in this race, Clover speeding up thinking they were chasing him…I didn’t know what to think. Helga said to me…”What is he doing?”..then I realized. The poor fella had been on a retractable leash for the first 2.5 years of his life, he only knew to run in it’s allotted circumference.

Quickly Clover’s canine senses kicked in and he realized he had created a game. They other dogs were just joining in, he stopped turned and faced the first and biggest dog. Again my heart stopped…and then it happened, Clover bent his front legs and arched his back similar to a cat….with his tail happily wagging in the air, the international dog play sign! Success!! He knew all along what to do, he just never had the chance to meet fellow dogs on neutral territory.

I would love to say Clover has never had an issue since starting with this group, for him it is a daily struggle. He has a great opportunity here in Ladenburg and each day he meets new challenges and grows….and so do I as a Dog Person.

If you live in the Rhine Neckar Area and are interested in this group here is their link:

http://www.clf-mobile-hundeschule.de

CLOVER HIGHLY RECOMMENDS THEM!