The Butterfly on a String

It's been hot and rainy, although not quite as hot as the average Mississippi summer (probably due to the rain). Widget has spent most of his time inside with me, getting to know me and the other dogs. He's also become comfortable with the diet here, which is largely free of kibble. As much as I like to start training when puppies are small, he's undergone a lot of changes in a very short period. He's gotten bits of handling training and not much else, which is absolutely fine when the weather is so formidable. If I had an enclosed training area with air conditioning, it would be different. Right now, I take things as opportunities present themselves.

Last week, I decided that it was time for the boy to get out and stretch his legs. There was no rain for the first time in weeks, little humidity (for our area, anyway!), and the real temperature was hovering around 80F. Good times! All of that practically adds up to autumn weather here. I checked the asphalt to make certain that Widget wouldn't burn his pads if he walked on the road instead of the grass and got out his collar and five-foot leash. We were ready to rumble!

Widget had walked on a leash before, so I thought that he would be a pro at it. And so we began our walk down our quiet country road. It's really a beautiful place to walk, with wide stretches of grass between the road and the drainage ditches. Trees overhang the road, except where my goat pasture abuts it. Bullfrogs call from the ponds, where egrets and a blue heron nest and hunt. I even found a massive turtle crossing the road as I drove along one afternoon, which I relocated to safety. I thought that such a walk would engage Widget, if not delight him with the discovery of new things.

Sorry Widget. My mistake.

His Highness was displeased with my decision and was disinclined to acquiesce to my request to walk. That is, the little brat decided he was going to refuse to go anywhere and roll around on the ground. Undeterred, I continued our walk slowly down the road, with him alternately sitting and leapfrogging behind me. I stopped every few feet to allow him the decision to come to me (making use of his reluctance to practice his recall a couple of times!), but I did not beg him or cajole him with a treat to walk.

Walking on a leash should never be optional, even for a small, easily carried dog. After all, no matter the discipline in which he competes, at some point Widget is going to have to behave on a leash or a lead for me. He might just be required to enter and exit a ring or competition area, but most sports require that a dog be on leash and under control at the beginning and the end of the exercises. In conformation competition, the dog is ALWAYS on a lead. It might be possible that some breed is stacked without a lead attached, but if so, I am unfamiliar with it.

In any case, I wasn't taking no for an answer. It wasn't long before he started to enjoy himself. He even got to find some really BIG doggies not far down the road! Screechy was checking him out, but Leland was unimpressed. Hero, whose head is off camera, was focused on Buck Kid, who Widget is also staring at. Needless to say, the small dogs are always separated from the goats by sturdy fencing.

So, what is a butterfly on a string? Well . . . it's not a compliment!

The short answer is that it is any small dog or puppy who is running around without purpose at the end of a lead/leash. I was reminded of the term back in July 2021, when I took Yaddle to an obedience match to help her become familiar with the sights and sounds of a trial. She was the quintessential butterfly on a string: visiting, exploring, never keeping all four feet on the ground. The difference between Yaddle and Widget is that . . . well, besides age, color, sex, and size I don't think there is a difference. Both take joy from life by doing the darnedest things, whether it's throwing his tennis ball so that it lands in his waterer (Widget) or stretching forward so far begging for a treat that she falls onto her nose (Yaddle).

So, back to Widget:

I stand by my first assessment of this little guy. He's going to be a joy to train. There is hardly any such animal as an "easy" terrier and I was not expecting him to be the exception. He's very smart, which doubles the effort sometimes. He's also already excelling in avoidance behaviors. Any obedience person can tell you that many of the "butterfly" maneuvers are actually avoidance behaviors, designed so that the dog does not have to perform the action being asked of him. So far, Widget's maneuvers are simply to test his limits. He wants to see what I will allow him to do before he is forced into behaving. He is so cute right now that I have to force myself to remember, "what you allow, continues." It's up to me to find the right blend of discipline and permissiveness to keep training fun. Below, Widget demonstrates the proper way to be a butterfly on a string!

Next up: Widget has fun!