I was preparing for an event, First Friday in Littleton. With my full-time job, life and raising Luke, I don’t always have time to plan ahead. In the summer-time, I take Fridays and Saturdays off from work to give me time to attend events and have fun with Brad and Luke. On Friday mornings, I try to replace inventory and prepare for the next event while hanging out with Luke.

It was Friday morning, and we woke up to do our daily routine with Luke. We chill while drinking coffee before our morning walk. Stopped to get an iced tea before coming home. I fed Luke and opened the back door so he could hang out in the backyard and roam freely. I had planned to finish refurbishing an old metal cooler and replenish our collar inventory. I finished painting the cooler outside while Luke was playing in the dirt. He was covered entirely and needed to be wiped down before going inside. This was worth it as he was having the time of his life digging and rolling around.

When I came into the house, I started to prepare my work station to make a few collars. I gave Luke a few things to chew on and play with, along with access to our fenced-in backyard. Within a few minutes, Luke was restless and wanted nothing but my attention. I tried to get him to settle and relax, but nothing was working. I went into the kitchen to give myself some space behind a gate. I was stressed, feeling like my day was ruined and I wouldn’t be able to get ready for the event that night. My mind began to spin. Do I just give up and stay home? Should I even go to the event? What does Luke need? How can I still make this happen?

I took a deep breath and I changed my plans, I went downstairs and grabbed different webbing to make Luke a new long lead. Within a few minutes, I had a new 25-foot lead ready for Luke, nothing fancy but ready to play. I dressed Luke in his harness, and we went down to the park. We practiced loose-leash walking, changing direction, and sniffing. We spent 90 minutes just roaming around, enjoying the morning, and relaxing in the park.

When we got home, Luke was tired and calm. I sat down at the sewing machine to make the collars. I was able to make all of the collars I had planned for the day. I finished the cooler and all of the other things on my list. My original plan included a long walk with Luke, just not in the morning.

During our battle in the morning, Luke was driving me crazy! As I reflect on the day, I realize that my reactions to Luke’s behaviors were adding to our difficulties. I’m usually a go-with-the-flow, easy-going person. Luke can push me beyond my threshold, causing me to become reactive(hiding in the kitchen). I see this and know that I’m part of the problem. It can be challenging to remain calm when Luke is barking uncontrollably, especially when trying to determine what he needs, without reinforcing that this is acceptable behavior.

This situation reminded me that sometimes things don’t go as planned, and most things typically turn out for the better when you are flexible and make adjustments. When you find yourself in a stressful situation, remember to stop and take a moment to decide what is important to you. It’s not the situation at hand, but how you handle the situation.