Meditation while walking my dog

Meditation is all about being in the present moment and stilling the mind.

I find that while walking Smash, if I observe how he interacts with the environment, I can release my stress and worries and enjoy the walk as much as he does.

It amazes me how he never tires of sniffing the same tree or bush each time we walk past it. He sniffs it as if he has never sniffed it before. Or maybe he is seeking a subtle change in smell.

Some days he can't wait to splash in the water of the creek.

Other days he is more interested in seeking out just the right blade of grass to nibble on.

He loves to look up and watch the birds fly and watch the squirrels play in the trees.

He greets the turtles with a sniff and nudge with his nose before he quickly looses interest and moves on the the next thing along the trail.

When I let go and just observe the woods the same way Smash does, I see so much more that just a walk int he woods. I feel a connection to all of nature.

Training Smash to Stay

Now that Smash has gotten the hang of using his leg, I have resumed his training.

He remembered sit very well. He has a little trouble tossing that leg out and sitting for a long time gets uncomfortable for him but he does it well.

He still has a bit of trouble with stay. he wants to get up and follow me when I walk away. We have to keep repeating the procedure of sit - stay - no sit - stay- no - sit - stay - good boy - stay.

He does much better if there are two of us to work with him. If one trainer holds a hand in front of his face while the other one walks with the leash he stays just fine.

I am sure he will get the hang of stay again soon.

To learn how to train your own dog get Sit- Stay - Fetch from Animal Kingdom