Tails of Connection

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Playing this game while you walk your dog might not change the world, but it can change your world—and that’s a start. The world is heavy right now. Feeling upset isn’t a pathology—it’s likely a response to witnessing horrors every day while juggling the demands of life. It’s easy to feel paralyzed by it all. For over a decade, I’ve played a game on my walks with my dogs that I (very creatively) named “Things That Delight Me.” Here’s how this (extremely complicated) game works: I actively look for anything that delights me as I walk. I do it for the entire walk. That’s it. Magically, every time I play this game, I end my walk feeling… well… delighted. I started playing this game when I had generalized anxiety disorder and often experienced panic attacks. It became a tool to shift my thinking and my feelings—even if just for the length of a walk. Now, I play this game to remind myself of what’s truly precious in life. I play it so I can show up for the world grounded in love and connection. I play it so I can be of greater service to others. I play it because this is my one precious life, and I don’t want to be so focused on what’s wrong that I forget to notice the beauty right in front of me. This game feels like joyous resistance to the idea that we always need more. Look at what we already have. I’m trying to share a walk where I play “Things That Delight Me” once a week—partly as a way to send some “good” out into the universe and partly because I need this game so I can act instead of staring at my phone immobilized by the news. I see so many series on this app focused on what we should buy or do; this one is about noticing what’s already here. May we feel the earth beneath our feet and the connections around us, so we can go out and do what’s needed.

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Why would a dog take a treat sometimes & not other times? When Allison sent me these vids of @indy_inspired, I thought they really clearly illustrated some important things (thx, Allison!). Eating is a behavior & can* be influenced by the consequences that follow it. (*see pinned comment for nuance) To understand behavior (in general, not just with eating), we need to look at: 1) Current conditions 2) Learning history under similar conditions Indy had to be on antibiotics for 3 weeks, & to get her to take the pills, Allison wrapped them in human food. When Allison handed Indy her treat wrapped pill, she did so “overhand” (using this as a quick term here & in vid to refer to handing it to Indy btw thumb & forefinger rather than open palm or on floor or tossing etc.). Initially, Indy would “grab” the treat from Allison’s hand (presented “overhand”) … the consequence of which was contacting (tasting?) the pill. During the three week treatment period, Indy grabbed treats handed to her overhand less frequently, so we can see the consequence of grabbing the treat (contacting the pill) punished that behavior. What started to appear when Allison presented a treat overhand in the house was a new avoidant behavior: Indy turned her head away (which results in her avoiding contact with the pill). When outdoors, where pills have never been given in treats, Indy still quickly grabs treats given - even when delivered overhand. Learning history & conditions! Our dogs are constantly learning. We can’t always control what they learn, but we can practice looking to the environment when we want to understand behavior or change it. This means Allison will be able to leverage learning to try get that eating behavior to show back up in all it’s old contexts - yay for treats everywhere! P.S. Sometimes giving pills is just HARD. Other times you get lucky. If you felt inclined, you can attempt to prep your dog to take pills wrapped in food by first wrapping yummy things they like in food & then slowing adjusting what’s inside so they practice eating treats with “surprises” in them. FWIW, it’s been on my list to do this & I never seem to get to it lol.

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👀 just sayin. The way you treat your dog doesn’t tell me everything. But it certainly tells me something.