Good Morning,
This day began with a hot cup of Door County Sunrise Roast Coffee and prayer. It is a great way to start my day.
I have been blessed to have some great hunting dogs for many years. I was introduced to a breeder, kennel operator, and dog trainer three dogs ago. I thought I knew enough about dogs and training them to hunt until we purchased Fritz from Jeff The Spaniel Wizard from Beaver Dam Wisconsin. Walter my self trained dog was a good hunter and companion. When he moved over the rainbow I recalled visiting Jeff at his "dog ranch" a couple years earlier with a friend of mine who was having Jeff train his retriever. So I looked him up to see if he would be selling any puppies. I was placed on "the list" and about 6 months later I received a call and there was a puppy available. I made an appointment to view the puppy and minutes later I had purchased "Fritz". As puppies went Fritz was house trained pretty quickly. As far as hunting went, Fritz was a royal pain. That dog would not listen to me at all. His idea of training was to "not train" and take anything I wanted him to retrieve to another county and not come back. I made an appointment with the Wizard basically to try and return Fritz and get a lap dog. I was discouraged to say the least.
Jeff asked to watch me and Fritz interact with a short retrieve of a dead pigeon. Fritz was consistent and did exactly what he did at home and at my training club. Jeff tried it and took the approach of getting on his knees and playing with Fritz and then asking him to fetch a bird. I thought the guy was crazy. Jeff then instructed me to play with Fritz and make it fun to train. Fritz earned a Master Hunter title by the time he was two years old. Fritz was not ready or willing to respond to rough commands from me. He never really did. He was there to have some fun and hard work later became his fun. We were a great team.
Lesson from the wizard. What worked for one dog does not always work for another dog. They are all different and you need to know the personality of each one. Adapt your training to the individual dog and build on their strengths.
Point for the day. We all will interact with children sometime in our life. You might have a few of your own, or you are an uncle or aunt to a few. You might be blessed to be a grandparent some day or you are now. Just remember, no two kids are the same. There are certain things that are non negotiable and should be taught. Good manners, respect, love for God and how to tie your own shoes. But, still remember, each child is different and you need to find out how God wired them and what they are bent toward doing. You might have one child who is studious and bent toward the sciences. The next one could be the quiet child who loves to take things apart and then works to put them back together. Once you know how they are wired you can work with them, not against them.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Most people see this passage from Scripture and apply it to mean that if we raise a child in an atmosphere that loves and serves the Lord they will not depart from it. This is a true path. I also apply it this way. Find out how your child is bent and wired by God and help them pursue the secular life path meant for them. If they are meant to be a biologist, a mother, or a farmer, help them achieve the goal of becoming a great biologist, worlds best mom, or a successful farmer.
Jeff has coached me through three dogs now and I look forward to at least one more in my life if the Lord is willing. I will never forget the life lesson I learned from the Wizard of Beaver Dam.
Love to all!
Marty
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