Weekend Update by Arleigh Jorgenson 

EYE CONTACT -

And when the wolf looked at me, he looked directly into my eyes and through them to the back of my brain.  I returned the invitation of his stare, matching his intensity.  He stared at me in a way that would be considered rude if he were a person.  I stared back fully and freely, without fearing that I was being too intimate.  In thirty seconds he knew everything he needed to know about me, and I about him.  He turned and left as if our conversation had been complete.  He didn't run away, he walked away with only an acknowledging glance over his shoulder.  He began to trot, then gently rode up into a lope, toward another agenda.

This experience has slowly revealed its significance to me.  I would say that in working with any animal, this is tip number one.  And, I might say it is a tip for working with human animals as well.  Make eye contact.  Make intimate eye contact.  Why?  Because it tells the dog that you are focused upon him, or her.  It tells your dog that you are looking into his or her soul.  At the same time, you are allowing him or her to look into your own.  And, perhaps this is more important than the first. 
 

Cheyenne
 

I have a very feral dog named “Stripe”.  He is almost too wild to keep as a domestic dog.  I have heard it said, by Native American friends, that a wolf is only a wolf if he or she is free and wild.  That is, if one takes a wolf cub and raises it, keeping it captive, it cannot be rightfully called a wolf.  Part of the definition of a wolf is that he or she is wild and free.  I had a young husky pup once, which grew up running loose in the kennel.  He was wild and free.  He was extremely feral.  When I finally tied him up, he died suddenly and unexpectedly a few days later.  I have always felt that he could not live without his freedom.  Perhaps captivity not only killed his spirit, but, in fact, took his life.  There could well have been medical issues, it was years ago.  Nevertheless, I think there was a truth for me to learn - that is, that keeping any animal in captivity is a HUGE responsibility.  And, each individual dog is different from the next.  Maybe there are some dogs that simply cannot really be dogs, because they cannot thrive in captivity, just as wolves cannot BE wolves in captivity.  Anyway, Stripe is wild, so feral that it seems he is barely able to be a dog.

But, Stripe is a dog!  He loves to run fast, he loves to pull hard, and he loves and trusts me.  Perhaps it is because I make it happen for him.  Stripe will never sit on my lap or lick my face, but he will tolerate me coming for him with a harness in my hand.  Instinctively, I suppose, I have always approached him from the front and from down low.  My first touch is under his chin.  And, I always come to him with a leash; I always give him as much freedom as I possibly can.  He rides in a lower dog box so that after I attach his leash, he can jump down out of the truck on his own.  And, when he is loaded into the box, we usually go around in circles until he can take a big jump right into the box, needing only the slightest boost from me.  If he does find himself riding in a top box, he will slowly slink out of the box into my arms.  He will do what he has to do, but he is also very grateful to do it with as much space as I can give him. When I harness him, I always take him away from people.  I get right down in front of him and harness him from the front.  That way he can see everything I am doing and he can look into my eyes and see me looking into his.  I speak to him gently and softly, but it is the eye contact that calms him; it is his eyes that respond and tell me how he is feeling about what is happening. 

I became conscious of the importance of eye contact one day when Stripe got himself into a fight with another male dog.  I knew I couldn't physically handle him to break up this fight; he'd probably come after me!  So, I went directly around to the front of both dogs and looked for eye contact.  I spoke loudly and directly to them both, my finger pointing.  Each dog looked up at me; I guess I was moving into their space, and I moved closer.  They stopped fighting immediately and looked now at me.  I felt like a referee in a boxing match.  Both turned their attention to me and stopped.  And I held their attention, keeping it from each other, as the aggression in their eyes subsided.  At least a part of the reason they stopped was that each knew I was now in control, not only of him, but also the other.  Dogs, especially male dogs, often find themselves in the middle of a fight with no real way out of it.  The best defense is an offense, so they have to keep fighting.  If you, the master, come around, look each of them in the eye, and dominate both dogs with your word and your presence, but most of all your eyes, chances are very good that they will both take the opportunity to get out of the fight.  It's the eye contact that does it.  Move in.  Get into their space.  Point your finger.  Get down to their level.  Intrude.  Demand their attention.

I have come to realize that this is not just a technique; this is the way in to the heart of your animal.  And, it is a two-way window.  Eye contact also allows the dog to see into your heart.  I tell my clients all the time, that this is the most important aspect of the exchange, it gives the dog the opportunity to see who you really are and what your language is.  And, since a novice musher knows far less about mushing than the dogs know, it is far more important that the dogs know who the musher is than for the musher to know who the dogs are.  Go in through the eyes, just as the wolf did to me.  See, and you will BE seen.  Your dogs will see you and know you, more completely than you could ever know, and will feel confident and secure.  You will both feel a strong and instantaneous bond.  You will feel genuine love for your dog, and you will feel the special trust and submission of your dog's love for you. 

Try it.  You cannot be a jerk to your dog, or any other animal you are working with, if you are looking the animal in the eye.  And you will get immediate feedback from the animal. You will see relaxation immediately.  Maybe what you are seeing is submission, submission in its most positive sense, with understanding and trust. 

Here is another story about the power of eye contact.  This story is 20 years old, but I am not sure I fully understand it yet.  It was Christmas Eve morning; my wonderful daughter, Anna, was a newborn and I was 400 miles away from her, but planning to jump into the car and join her, her mother, and her brother by nightfall.  I had a number of my dogs staying with me on my parents’ farm in southern Wisconsin; I was in the midst of harvesting corn.  My plan was to slip back up north for a couple of days, and then return to finish the harvest.  The dogs would stay in Wisconsin.  When I went out to care for them before I left, I discovered a very shy female named “Blue” to be loose!  I tried to gently approach her, but she was not willing to be put back on her tether.  I could not leave the farm with Blue loose because huskies and farm animals are not very compatible.  She might very well injure or kill a small calf or a pig.  I HAD to catch her.  My father suggested building an elaborate funnel made out of fencing.  I knew she would catch onto that trap before we could get it to work, so we didn't waste our time, but I appreciated knowing how much he wanted to help me.  I was desperate.  Finally, with a big lump in my throat and fierce determination, I just locked my eyes upon Blue's eyes and simply walked toward her wherever she went.  I didn't run, and I didn't crawl, I just relentlessly pursued.  Never did I take my eyes from her.  After only about 45 minutes she just sat down in the middle of the field and let me walk up to her!  I think she was relieved to have the stare come to an end.  What can we learn from that story?  Well, I know this.  If anyone stares at me for too long, I will do just about anything to make the one who is staring stop. There is always a part of my soul that I will want to keep to myself. 

One day a couple of years ago when Stripe was in his rookie season, he chewed himself free from the gangline during lunch.  But, as I approached him, he simply sat quietly in his position.  He WANTED to be hooked back up.  I could see that the idea of actually being free scared him.  He preferred the security of being a member of the team and visibly relaxed once I had fixed his lines and clipped him in.  Dogs are dependent upon us, and they are ultimately submissive.  They want the security that goes with captivity.  I think that is a truth about dogs.  Think about the trust huskies show with their desire every day to jump into dog truck boxes, which are closed and locked behind them, just so they can go for a ride and hopefully a run!  We bear a tremendous amount of responsibility to our dogs, to know them and to keep them captive, for their own safety and security. 

Their eyes are windows, not mirrors, to their souls.  Maybe next time, I'll talk about watching your dogs’ ears! 
 
 

Last March, we had the pleasure of mushing with 'Coastal Living' magazine's Steve Millburg.  It was a beautiful spring day - Steve and his team truly shared the experience.  Layne Kennedy was along to capture it all on film.
Enjoy the full spread in the January-February '03 issue of 'Coastal Living'.
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(Photo: Layne Kennedy)
 

Photo of the Week  by Layne Kennedy                                                      Foxy and Brass