5 Life Lessons I've Learned From My Puppy

It's been eight months since my husband and I adopted Nala. She's grown from a gangly little nippy fuzzball into a 66.6 pound beautiful, (mostly) well-mannered older pup. During the months we've spent together, while I've been teaching her the quickest ways to win cookies from her human treat-dispenser (sit, stay, off, wait, down, leave it, etc.), in observing her exploration of the world and her interactions with beings of various sizes and species, she has taught me a great deal. Here are 5 life lessons (in no particular order) that I've learned from my puppy.

1. Make New Friends - While my inherent shyness has hindered me from nurturing new relationships, Nala is fearless in introducing herself, enthusiastically snuffling strangers, who (usually) quickly become friends, whether human, dog, cat or otherwise. If her advances are rejected, she doesn't take it personally and looks for the next interesting adventure. Her confidence has increased my own, and I'm less hesitant in introducing myself to the other humans at the dog park, and find it easier to greet new people with my own style of wag.

2. Respect Boundaries - A big part of my puppy education has been learning dog language, such as calming signals. When Nala was younger, she had to learn to understand the turned heads or averted eyes of dogs who didn't want her to bother them. When she'd get too close or too assertive in her play, a simple growl or nip let her know she'd crossed a boundary. She quickly learned to watch for those initial signals and to respect those "bug off" zones. Watching her learn that language has helped me become better attuned to the boundaries and signals of dogs and humans alike.

3. Ask for Help - We humans often don't like to ask for help, because our culture has taught us that to do so shows weakness or failure. No such thing for Nala. When she needs help (climbing a tall wall, getting her toy unstuck from under the chair, etc.), she asks with her eyes, body posture and sometimes her voice. Helping her makes me feel good. Helping others makes me feel good. So, when I need help, I'm more likely to ask, so that I get my needs met more efficiently and effectively, and those helping me get that helper's high.

4. Overcome Your Fear - The world can be a big and scary place for a little puppy. I know that it has often been a big and scary place for me. But watching Nala overcome her fear (with encouragement and lots of treats) of paper bags, garbage bins, construction noise, and other scary monsters of the world -- witnessing her be absolutely terrified, and then, when she eventually is able to "check it out!" (a great command to teach your dog for such occasions, by the way), to realize "Oh, hey, that's no big deal. What was I so afraid of?" and move on with her life -- has helped me chip away at my own scary monsters and to approach life with much less trepidation.

5. Joy is Simple - Joy IS simple. Smelling flowers (the first time I watched Nala trotting from tulip to tulip, pausing to give each one a lusty inhale, I was wonderstruck). Rolling in mud. Playing tug of war. Getting scritches. Greeting friends and new friends and more friends. Finding a bit of banana in your food dish. Look! A squirrel! There are countless instances throughout our days that offer us joy, if we'll just recognize and embrace them. Watching Nala revel in the simple joys of life (such as getting to lick the last bits of soy yogurt from the container) has made me more aware of -- and more grateful for -- my own.

Stay tuned for more lessons I've learned from my puppy!

~ Marsha

(Photos are of Nala the great explorer at 8 weeks, and Nala at 9 months helping us prep the soy yogurt container for recycling.)

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