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The Patience of a Saint!
Patience

These were the words attributed to me by a Lady who was asking how I found the time to wait for my dogs to work things out for themselves rather than me teaching them what to do and what I want of them and as we giggled about this I assured her that this is one of the most common questions directed at me, as my method 'Amichien Bonding' is based on giving a dog every opportunity to work things out for themselves by consequence of action and praise when sucessful.

 

The reason I found her question rather funny is that patience has never been my strong point, which my family and friends will testify to, especially when a jigsaw puzzle is produced for entertainment. As a child my parents soon learned not to buy me these broken pictures as making them fit always demanded the aid of a strong pair of scissors. Over time I have come to forgive Mum and Dad for their choice of jigsaw puzzle and remember distinctly the first puzzle to be subjected to my unique method of "cut to fit". It was a picture of a blue sky over a blue sea and I had much better things to do than try to reconstruct a cut up picture.  The irony of this is that the only jigsaw that I successfully put together was 'Amichien Bonding', like many people I came upon so much of what was right and worked but it was only when I actually started to listen to what they were trying to tell me that I was able to create the whole picture.

 

So do I have immense patience? Certainly not but will I do all that I can to ensure that I do right by those that I encounter I will always do my best for them regardless of species, personality and capability.

 

One very sincere tip that I left this lady with was that to learn the skill of patience all you have to do is study your own dog, as Mother Nature has blessed it with the ability to wait for the perfect moment to act, to grab your shoe, to sit by the cupboard knowing that you will give in, eventually, to bark, whine or pester you until you take it out for a walk, basically it will do just enough, patiently waiting every time, for the moment when it gets what it wants.

 

Patience of a saint? No. Patience of your dog? Oh yes!!!

 

Jan Fennell

9th March 2012