The trouble with being in a RUT is their nature.
Ruts don’t move.
So if you are in one, you must get yourself out of it.
Dogs get into ruts, too.
I’m thinking of Swifty, a mildly overweight Beagle mix, whose name is a misnomer. Swifty is in a pause-in-the-driveway-and-halt rut.
Here’s the scenario:
1. Owner brings out the leash.
2. Swifty does his way-happy-to-go-for-a-walk dance.
3. Dog and owner proceed optimistically to the front door.
4. Exit with exuberant Swifty following behind owner.
5. Trundle down the blacktop.
6. Witness a flash of dismay? resoluteness? silent meditation? in Swifty’s eyes.
7. Swifty applies the brakes AND the emergency brake, refusing to progress any further.
Swifty’s owner tried my little Potted Dog trick, to no avail. She also attempted to compel movement with solicitous pleading, scrumptious chicken treats, squeaky toys, everything she could think of to get Swifty to haul butt out of the yard.
No traumatic event or other catalyst for Swifty’s stalemate could be uncovered that might explain his behavior. We decided that either the driveway was too hot for his paws (quite possible given the weather of late), or more likely that Swifty had dug himself a rut and was mired in it.
And so, on a nice cool day, we took Swifty out the BACK door instead of the front. We turned LEFT instead of right, and we walked SLOW, then FAST, then SLOW. We turned a CIRCLE or two. Then we did a FIGURE 8. We STOPPED at a shady tree and took a deep breath.
In other words, we ploughed our way out Swifty’s rut, quickly and neatly and confidently, without pausing to consider whether Swifty would go along with these tactics or not.
The good news: He did.
If you – or your dog – is in a rut, climb your way out. Take a fresh look at the pattern, and do the opposite of what you normally do. Or ask a friend or family member to help by leading you and your dog on a walk. Resist the urge to say “But we always go THIS way!”
And beware, of course, of letting your new direction become the NEW rut.
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