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Phase-one of the Kyjen-funded play yard at the Intermountain Humane Society in Pine Junction, CO.
Here is a quick blog post that isn’t trying to sell you any of our innovative dog toys or gear. It’s not going to include any cute dog photos or silly videos. And, as much as I’d like to, I’m not going to lay it on thick with the all-too-easy dog puns. Instead, I’d just like to share a little “tail” (ok, I couldn’t resist) about who we are and what we stand for.
‘Kyjen’ the dog before Service Dog Training Class.
Each Saturday, the service dogs in training at CaPR are brought in by their volunteer puppy raisers for a training class. I was curious about the raising and training of service dogs and anxious to meet The Dog Named ‘Kyjen.’ Linda, the Program and Training Director for CaPR, teaches the class, and also raises and trains puppy ‘Kyjen.’ She was happy to let me sit in on a class with one of my dogs, Lilly.
When most people hear the phrase “dog game,” it just doesn’t compute. How would a dog play a game? Dogs, they think, aren’t capable playing games or solving puzzles. But, in fact, dogs play games all the time. It’s just that they have a different idea of what a game is than we do.
See, to a dog, clawing at the carpet is a game. Chewing on a chair leg? That’s a game too. Digging up the yard? Definitely a game. In its simplest form, a game is just an amusement or pastime that has an inherent goal. When dogs engage in these destructive behaviors, ill-defined though their goals may be, they are merely playing games. And, in many instances, these behaviors simply stem from doggie boredom. Next time you punish your dog for “acting out,” try to remember that what you think of as “acting out” your dog thinks of as “game play.” Can you imagine how you’d feel if someone chastised you every time you pulled out the Scrabble board? Not good. Not good at all.
