First with Faults Due To Bright Eyes

The red centre and white outside rosette means we gained a first place, but we had faults. So it's a non-qualifier, we don’t get points for our progression. 

But heck, look at Bella's face! All she knows is that I'm happy, she's happy and she got a rosie!! How do I know, well look at her shining eyes

Bella is a smile wag and walk dog, it's her nature to be friendly and curious. But she is strong willed as well and if she doesn't feel like doing something, then she won’t. She just decides she won’t do it and she strikes a pose and gives me a look.

The day after the photo was taken we went back for another day of competition. It was hot, I was hot, the dogs were hot (despite being under cover) so, she didn't want to play.  She did come in the ring and line up and wait, but when we started she just didn't want to jump. But she did, for me and some encouragement. Later, when the temperature was higher, after she watched me take her best dog friend into the ring for the first time, she decided she didn't want to carry on. 

So, I did what everyone should do when they are faced with a problem. I didn't push it, I didn't force her, and I didn't try to impose what I wanted on her. Instead we packed up, drove off and went on our own to a nice place near the river and the dogs all ran played ball & swam. We went, had some fun & her eyes shone.

My dogs teach me a lot about motivation and work. They are ISDS & KC registered Border Collies, workaholic ball chasing, born to herd sheepdogs. But each one of my four has their own personality. The one in the photo is what I term, a very emotional dog. She has a sensitive nervous system, she sees, hears, smells, & feels life as a peak experience. If I was a dog I would be like Bella.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of Bella's appearance when she is highly motivated are her bright eyes. When she doesn't want to do something she loses that spark. Humans get that spark in their eyes when they are excited and curious. It's something I watch out for when they come to see me.

Having an accident, a trauma, can be like free falling through space. There is nothing familiar to grab hold of, you don’t know when things will stop or how you'll land up. It's a shock and response can be freeze, flight or fight, but in free flow with nothing to hold onto, so all anyone can do is just freeze. Imagine my dog Bella having fallen down a well and not being able to get out, she could bark for help, but all she could do is to trust help would come. If I looked down I wouldn't see shiny happy eyes, I would see tight fearful 'Please, help!' eyes. 

Often when people have pain, a body shape that has changed because bones got broken and they have scars or muscle wasting. If they can’t do what they did before they started freefall and they have no idea how they are going to end up. When they come in through my door, what I notice is their eyes. There is a look in someone's eyes when they really want to cry, to let go of their locked held fear. But most of the people who work with me are people who are trying to keep some control over their emotions. Probably someone once told them how they should behave, or they watched others and decided how they should be. 

But that's not what my dog Bella does, but she does watch me and she knows when I'm cross and she likes it when I'm happy with her. So when people come to me one of my first goals is to hunt for the spark. I won’t go into all of the assessing & history taking & appraising that goes on because that's for other posts, but what I do look for is that eye twinkle. I watch them, I really look at them as well as listen. 

The first sign might be a little joke, a little smile. One person I worked with produced an eye sparkle when we discussed making mashed potatoes. Up until that time she had cooked no homemade food since her accident, just put ready meals in the microwave. After we debated the various merits of lumpy versus blended potatoes. If salted or unsalted butter was her preference, best type of potato made best mashed potato. It was a breakthrough moment in her rehabilitation. Plus I discovered she was an amazing resource of cooking tips. Not only did chatting about cooking take her mind off her problems, but the fact that she knew so much more about world food gave her a chance to shine.

But watching out for that eye shine, that twinkle can be any time. Imagine you are booking a visit to a friend who is in hospital, someone who had an accident. What do you plan to talk about? Could you help get back that bright eye shine? That spark of interest that wow, that look which leads to a smile? Have you done it and how did you do it?