I always thought I was a pretty patient person, that is until I met Delilah.
Delilah has the type of personality that could make Mother Theresa cuss. Out loud. In front of God himself.
Delilah (in a nut shell) has no patience. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
She wants what she wants when she wants it and woe to those who try to stop her. My dog trainer will tell you she takes after her mother. Don’t believe everything you hear. 🙂
This particular shall we call it trait of Delilah’s makes training with her very difficult. She gives new meaning to the term, stubborn little female lab.
I started working with her on the ‘Heel’ command. Delilah in front of me, Sampson lying patiently on the floor waiting his turn.
“Delilah heel!” I stick my left hand with a treat in it around my back and coax her to walk behind me and sit at my left side. We did this four times.
“Sampson heel!” Delilah jumped in and rushed between him and me and ran around behind my back.
I did this three times, then I gave up.
Where did my patience go?
Delilah is so excited by the mere thought of food, that she can work herself into a frenzy.
I feed them twice a day, at 7:00 am and at 7:00 pm. Delilah reminds me anywhere from 15 minutes to half an hour before meal time. I can’t feed them a minute sooner, because if I did she would start reminding me even earlier.
As soon as I begin making my way to the kitchen she turns into a whirling dervish. A spinning, jumping, dancing on your foot dog. Oh and verbal, very, very verbal.
Breakfast: A task which should take me about a minute or two at the most, takes a minimum of five, because she keeps getting up, I look at her and she sits back down, or I finally think she’s got it and she changes position because somehow she thinks her vantage point is better here instead of there.
I have a saying “It all ends in the kitchen unless your end is on the floor.” I say this at least twice a day.
I look at her and she barks at me, “Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up, I’m hungry.”
I look at her over my glasses, with one eyebrow arched, hands on hips. The barking stops, for a moment.
I make a move toward her food dish in hand, and it begins all over again.
Normally we eat dinner a tad bit on the late side, I usually finish eating and immediately get up to get their dinner. Last night for some reason dinner was ready early, so we finished about 6:35 pm. Dinner for the dogs was still a long way off.
We sat and watched some TV. Delilah tried to climb in my lap. “Off.”
She sat beside the sofa and whined in my ear. Out of the side of my mouth I said to Hubby, “I’m trying to ignore her so she will stop.”
She didn’t.
Finally she gave up and went into her crate behind the couch, plunked herself down and sighed, “Hmmmmpfh.”
She sighed about three more times before I said to Hubby, “I’m going to feed them now so I CAN HEAR the last ten minutes of this show.”
I think there are lessons to be learned for/from everyone. I think Delilah and I were brought together so we could each learn patience.
I love your last line.
Thanks Jan, a firm belief of mine. Beings come into your life to help you learn. 🙂
“She gives new meaning to the term, stubborn little female lab.” I thought for sure you were going to say stubborn little bit*h, thats usually what comes out of my mouth to Riva, LOL
Yes I love the last line too.
LOL yes I suppose that could be used to describe her. Funny but I rarely call her that. It’s usually more like a**hole. 🙂
Sometimes Delilah sounds so much like Storm. Maybe it is second child syndrome? 😆
I think it really could be that! Just think of all the time you put into the first one, I don’t have the same time for this one. 😉 Yup 2nd child syndrome!
I like your perspective. As you describe Delilah, I am reminded of my black lab, R. There has never been a dog who has tested my patience so much… in many of the same ways as Delilah. Perhaps that’s why he and I ended up together – so that we can both learn patience.
When you have a dog like Delilah or R, you have no choice but to have that perspective, otherwise you’d go crazy!!
She drives me to the brink of insanity sometimes! 🙂
I think you have the patience of a saint, Saint Jodi 🙂
Awww Thanks Bassas, I think you are pretty lucky with the tall one and Dee too!
awww cute, I can just hear her sighing. sweet.
LOL not so sweet when it’s in your ear!
Isn’t that what we get dogs for? Too teach us new skills? I am not a patient person either. My mother would attest to that. If a website doesn’t load within half a second, I am outta there. But somehow with my dog, I have learned how to wait and wait and wait. But it’s not easy!
Your descriptions of Delilah’s antics were too cute. Even through the frustration, I could tell how how much love there is between you.
Thank you Kristine, I know you understand where I am coming from. 🙂 There is a lot of love though, you are right.
I have patience for most of the stuff my dog does, but the barking does me in.
That’s a tough one, the barking gets me crazy. Sometimes if I stop and look at her and just relax my whole body, like I’ve gone limp she will stop. Not easy to do though. 🙂
Delilah is probably very patient. She’ll beg and cry for early dinner as long as it takes to wear you down. 🙂
You may be right Pamela, but I have my doubts. LOL