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Several years ago I was struggling with trying to obey God with a list of do’s and don’ts and I wasn’t being very successful. I desperately wanted to serve Him but had no idea where to start or how to get there. I was in the process of training a very talented dog who had an incredible ability to find people by scent. It was suggested by some that I should go into search and rescue with her and through various happenings, the Lord led me to believe that this was the way I was to go. There was only one problem, my dog hated other dogs and would try to attack when given the opportunity. This unacceptable behaviour stood between me and search and rescue training and so through prayer God led me to take a professional dog trainers course in Victoria.
That’s where it happened. He had me cornered in the solitude of a lonely motel room for two whole months. As I studied my Bible each day He began to show me that the obedience I was teaching dogs was in many ways the same as what He expected from me. Not an endless list of do’s and don’ts but some very simple commands that would lead me into a closer relationship with Him and a whole new adventure in my life. In simple terms, He showed me the way to walk in obedience to Him and this is what I want to share with you.
The obedience my dog does is somewhat different from obedience you may have seen in competition or have taken in class with your own dog. There is a reason for this; we have now learned that dogs communicate in certain ways that the old style of very strict obedience goes against. Perfectly straight comes and sits are considered rude and offensive in the dog world. I consider the extremely formal obedience to be a type of legalism. It puts unnecessary stress on the dog and most of it has absolutely nothing to do with real obedience anyway; this is much like many of our church traditions.
The dogs I train learn to be obedient without the extreme rules that go against what they are naturally able to understand. Obedience to God is also this simple. It’s not a matter of rules and regulations so much as it’s a matter of relationship. When the relationship is right, the obedience will be quick and joyful, when the obedience is quick and joyful, the relationship is right, and growing in the direction it should.
Before you can train a dog there are some basic principles you need to understand.
Corrections:
The first thing is the proper use of corrections. There are many different corrections that can be used. In order to be effective and fair they must be timed perfectly. Some corrections simply make the dog uncomfortable while others are a hard and direct challenge to the dogs desire to be pack leader. Do not say “NO” to your dog for everything, Sometimes you will only say “uh, uh”, “NO” is reserved for only the things that you NEVER want the dog to do such as chewing, biting, or stealing food. Verbal corrections, like “uh-uh” can be used to communicate that the dog has made a mistake and it is then given the opportunity to obey the command. If the dog still refuses, a physical correction is used to teach the dog to comply.
Many people don’t think it’s necessary to use physical corrections on a dog, however dogs will physically correct each other. It’s something that is part of their nature, they understand and respond well as long as the corrections are fair. Corrections are used to teach the dog it needs to obey simply because the handler said so which in turn can, in some circumstances, save the dogs life. While this may sound like forced training it is actually building a relationship with the dog. All dog packs must have a leader and most dogs do not wish to lead. By using a fair and understandable correction you show the dog that you are someone worth following.
God uses discipline because he loves us.
Hebrews 12:10-11 “Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful, Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
God says “NO” for the things we must never do. This is for our protection not to make us miserable. Very often He says, “Uh, uh, this isn’t in your best interest.” If we choose to ignore the verbal correction we may receive from His word or a brother or sister in Christ, we could find ourselves in the midst of a physical one where God lets the circumstances around us do the correcting.
Distractions:
In order to teach the dog to obey the command in any situation, we introduce distractions and teach the dog to work through them. So often people tell me “but my dog always does it right at home.” The dog has learned to obey under a certain set of circumstances but not under all circumstances. The only way to teach the dog to obey in every situation is to introduce the dog to new and varied circumstances and distractions.
Some distractions are simply the things in life around us that cause us to be too busy to listen to the Lord. Psalm 119:37 “Turn my eyes away from worthless things.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
We often think we’re doing just fine, we have finally made it. All is good and then suddenly, that thing we thought we had dealt with comes back and we find that maybe we didn’t have it all together after all. It’s easy to be comfortable in our own world and do every thing just right, but the moment a new situation arises we discover we still need more work. This is not something to beat ourselves up about. We pray for forgiveness and guidance, which the Lord has promised us, then we get back up and try again. Distractions aren’t evil plots so God can thump us, but rather put there to shape our character and teach us to depend on the Father and keep our eyes on Him. 1 Peter 5:10 “And the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
Without training with corrections and distractions, the dog can never be completely reliable and therefore is open to all kinds of dangers. The same goes for us, if we never learn to keep our eyes focused on the Father no matter what is happening around us, we are always vulnerable to dangerous pitfalls in our spiritual lives.
The dog is given two seconds to comply to a command. After two seconds, the dog is corrected into the position that was requested. Delayed obedience, is disobedience and will lead to more and more compromise if let go.
Sometimes you’ll have a dog that will obey most of the way, but not quite all the way, it is corrected the same as if it hadn’t obeyed at all because partial obedience is also disobedience.
The Walking Exercise:
In the walking exercise, the dog learns to follow the handler wherever he/she goes, quietly and without question. In order to accomplish this, the dog is asked to follow close to the handler without lunging or pulling. The dog also learns that it is not to bark or growl at passers-by, but rather to focus its attention on the handler. As long as it stays within a certain distance, it can look around; however, it must be paying sufficient attention to the handler so that if a change in direction were made, the dog would automatically follow without having to be corrected or even spoken to.
In order to learn this, the dog must give up all rights to chase after its own desires. It learns that with the handler is the best place to be. In the beginning, toys, people and various other things might hold the most interest; but with proper training the dog will have a change in its thinking and the handler will become the primary desire. The outcome is a dog that follows close to its master with joy and enthusiasm.
The rest of the dogs training hinges on the walking exercise. Once the dog learns to follow freely and accept correction the rest is easier.
The walking exercise is the equivalent to “Come, follow me”. When Jesus said to His disciples “Come follow me”, He was asking them to give up everything in order to learn from and become like him. He was asking them to deny themselves the right of choosing their own life in order to live the life he chose for them. When he said, “take up your cross and follow me,” he was saying ‘die to your own desires and natural self and live according to what I have planned for you.’
Our natural tendency is to make our own way, to seek after material and worldly things. When we walk on our own, these natural desires will often lead us into things that go against God’s value system. Before we know Jesus, these things seem right and good to us; being able to run in our own direction feels like freedom, but it leads to death. When we learn to walk with God, we give up our right to chase after these things, we learn what is acceptable and what is not, and we learn to repent. Repentance is agreeing with God as to what sin is, and then, once we agree, we turn from sin to follow Christ. Through a change in our thinking, we find that following after Christ becomes our hearts one desire.
The walking exercise involves forgiveness, both from God and toward others. A Christian cannot have an intimate relationship with God if they are unwilling to forgive. Just as a dog can’t focus on its master if it’s busy barking at the neighbour, we can’t focus on Christ when we are living behind a wall of anger, bitterness or hatred toward someone else. We must learn to accept and view others from God’s perspective. They are also created in his image and although they may not belong to him, they are loved by him and deserving of our respect for that reason alone.
Colosians 3:1-10 says; “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
To sum it up; we give up our right to go our own way – to do our own thing. We give up our right to bark, growl, and hurt those around us. It is repentance without argument and forgiveness freely given. We learn to keep our eyes on Him – this is the beginning of obedience.
The Sit Command:
The dog must learn to sit when the handler gives the command and stay until the release word or a new command is given. The dog must learn to keep its eyes on the handler and listen for any new commands.
Sit is often used to make the dog wait for something such as its food. The sit command can be used to teach the dog self-control. By requesting the dog sit before the door is opened, it can learn the appropriate way to meet a guest.
The “sit” command is simply spending time studying the Bible and allowing it to change us. Mary understood the importance of sitting at the Master’s feet. While Martha busied herself with things, Mary settled at Jesus’ feet to learn from him. When we follow Mary’s example and open ourselves up to the Word of God, we will begin to know him in a very personal way. The Bible tells us to “Study to show yourself approved” 2 Timothy 2:15 and to “hide God’s word in your heart”. We need to spend time in the Word, learning who He really is. Learning how He expects us to respond, and learning to love Him more. We can’t have a proper relationship with someone we don’t know. God has given us the Bible so that we might know him through it. His character is clearly and consistently shown, his value system, sacrificial love for the benefit of others, is prominently displayed. If we ask him to show us more of who he is, he will open our eyes to understanding all he is and does and will change a willing heart so that we too might become like him..
2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,”
Beware of distractions; it is so easy to say “Well, I’ll read later” but we soon discover that later rarely happens. Just as a dog might want to finish sniffing the grass before it sits, all too often we have something that drags our minds away from God’s Word. There will always be time for other things; we must make time for the Lord.
The Come Command:
When given the come command the dog is expected to come in straight, fast and sit in front within touching distance of the handler. Some dogs meander slowly in, grudgingly. The look on their face seems to say “Oh, alright, whatever.” Others will race in and at the last second see something and speed right past the handler. Some dogs have such a desire to come that they can hardly contain themselves until they hear the command. They then gallop in, sliding to a stop in front so fast that they will often bump into the handler’s legs.
The come command is the time spent in prayer. The Lord prompts us and it is up to us to comply. Sometimes we grudgingly leave what we are doing to pray, the whole time thinking about our day and everything else. Sometimes we say, “Yes, I’ll pray,” and at the last moment get distracted and dash off thinking, “I’ll do it later.” Instead, when we hear that still small voice that could only be His, let us fall on our knees at His feet and pray.
Prayer is an open invitation into His presence. Just as the dog needs to come close enough for the handler to touch the collar, we need to come close enough to let God touch us and take hold of us, as we surrender ourselves up to Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Colossians 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
The Down Command:
This is the hardest command for a dog to learn. To a dog, lying down is to put itself in total submission to the handler, not all dogs want to do this. It requires surrendering and saying, “Yes, you’re the boss.” Many dogs will appear to be in a down but will hold their elbows just off the ground. A simple rule is, if the elbows aren’t down, neither is the dog. Allowing the dog to keep its elbows up even slightly can lead to future dominance related behaviour problems and even a total disregard to the handler’s authority.
Submission to God is also the most difficult thing for us to do. He asks us to submit to Him entirely and trust Him completely. We tend to say, “I surrender all (except this one little thing, you won’t mind will you?)” That is the spiritual equivalent of keeping your elbows off the ground. God doesn’t want some of me some of the time; He wants all of me all of the time. So instead, let us submit totally and completely to God. Surrender everything to Him. Give up everything and trust fully in His ability to lead and guide you safely through. Hold nothing back – if your “elbows” aren’t touching, you haven’t surrendered all – you haven’t learned total obedience or trust.
Philippians 3:8 “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ”
When we submit totally and completely, we gain Christ, totally and completely.
Tricks:
Tricks are taught without corrections. They are commands that ask a dog to do things that don’t make any sense to him. Some people don’t view tricks as being part of obedience; however, without the dog desiring to do the trick on its own, it can’t be done. This is a special part of obedience; it’s a willingness to give what it doesn’t understand just because we ask for it. How much more obedient can you get?
Sometimes God will ask us to do things that don’t make sense to us or those around us. We might just have a feeling that we can’t shake that is requiring us to do something out of the ordinary. Duncan Campbell had such a feeling while he was speaking at a conference. He told those who had invited him to speak that he must leave before his final address and set out for a destination he had never been to. Such behaviour would seem foolish to some, however his obedience was an answer to prayer for a brother in Christ and led to a revival that swept through the area like a storm. Repeatedly in the New Testament Paul talks about the things of God seeming to be foolishness to man; are you willing to be a fool for Christ? “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” 1Corinthians 1:25
Advanced Obedience:
Once you have learned basic obedience the next step is advanced obedience. This is where we really get in tune with God. We learn to sit from a down and down from a sit, it doesn’t matter how far off He seems, we keep our eyes on Him and He will keep us safe.
Other things we learn: Heeling – the art of walking in perfect step with the Master. With our eyes focused on Him we can’t possibly make a wrong turn.
The flying down – dropping into a down position from a dead run. Oh to be able to hear His voice and fall on my face before Him regardless of the chaos around me.
Directed out run – where He sends me I will go. I don’t know the reason or what will happen when I get there but I want to say “I will go with joy and speed for I know my Master and His purpose is always good.”
Worship:
Maybe you are thinking I’ve left out one important part of obedience, worship. One client put it in perspective for me when she was watching me training with my dog. She said, “I love to watch you work with Darcy, she worships you.”
Obedience IS our worship; it’s the laying down of our whole selves - body, heart, mind, and soul - for the glory of God.
Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – which is your spiritual worship.”
Perhaps you are wondering did I go into search and rescue. Within six months of returning home it was evident that my dog would have to be put down. Darcy, the puppy God had persuaded me to buy in Victoria didn’t have a talent for searching. I asked God about it and He said, “What is to search but to seek, what is to rescue but to save. I came to seek and save the lost – there is your search and rescue.”
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Basic Obedience
Today I want to share something with you, that's a little different than what i have so far shared with you. A very important lesson from Darcy, and her human, Shawna.
I am aquainted with Shawna through a now defunct Christian forum called Doulos. There were some mighty fine Christians there, i made some great freinds and learned alot too. Anyway, before I get too far off course, I will let them begin. Be advised, I still have not learned how to properly edit this blog to make the paragraphs show the way I post them. So here is the lesson from Darcy, through Shawna:
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Several years ago I was struggling with trying to obey God with a list of do’s and don’ts and I wasn’t being very successful. I desperately wanted to serve Him but had no idea where to start or how to get there. I was in the process of training a very talented dog who had an incredible ability to find people by scent. It was suggested by some that I should go into search and rescue with her and through various happenings, the Lord led me to believe that this was the way I was to go. There was only one problem, my dog hated other dogs and would try to attack when given the opportunity. This unacceptable behaviour stood between me and search and rescue training and so through prayer God led me to take a professional dog trainers course in Victoria.
That’s where it happened. He had me cornered in the solitude of a lonely motel room for two whole months. As I studied my Bible each day He began to show me that the obedience I was teaching dogs was in many ways the same as what He expected from me. Not an endless list of do’s and don’ts but some very simple commands that would lead me into a closer relationship with Him and a whole new adventure in my life. In simple terms, He showed me the way to walk in obedience to Him and this is what I want to share with you.
The obedience my dog does is somewhat different from obedience you may have seen in competition or have taken in class with your own dog. There is a reason for this; we have now learned that dogs communicate in certain ways that the old style of very strict obedience goes against. Perfectly straight comes and sits are considered rude and offensive in the dog world. I consider the extremely formal obedience to be a type of legalism. It puts unnecessary stress on the dog and most of it has absolutely nothing to do with real obedience anyway; this is much like many of our church traditions.
The dogs I train learn to be obedient without the extreme rules that go against what they are naturally able to understand. Obedience to God is also this simple. It’s not a matter of rules and regulations so much as it’s a matter of relationship. When the relationship is right, the obedience will be quick and joyful, when the obedience is quick and joyful, the relationship is right, and growing in the direction it should.
Before you can train a dog there are some basic principles you need to understand.
Corrections:
The first thing is the proper use of corrections. There are many different corrections that can be used. In order to be effective and fair they must be timed perfectly. Some corrections simply make the dog uncomfortable while others are a hard and direct challenge to the dogs desire to be pack leader. Do not say “NO” to your dog for everything, Sometimes you will only say “uh, uh”, “NO” is reserved for only the things that you NEVER want the dog to do such as chewing, biting, or stealing food. Verbal corrections, like “uh-uh” can be used to communicate that the dog has made a mistake and it is then given the opportunity to obey the command. If the dog still refuses, a physical correction is used to teach the dog to comply.
Many people don’t think it’s necessary to use physical corrections on a dog, however dogs will physically correct each other. It’s something that is part of their nature, they understand and respond well as long as the corrections are fair. Corrections are used to teach the dog it needs to obey simply because the handler said so which in turn can, in some circumstances, save the dogs life. While this may sound like forced training it is actually building a relationship with the dog. All dog packs must have a leader and most dogs do not wish to lead. By using a fair and understandable correction you show the dog that you are someone worth following.
God uses discipline because he loves us.
Hebrews 12:10-11 “Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful, Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
God says “NO” for the things we must never do. This is for our protection not to make us miserable. Very often He says, “Uh, uh, this isn’t in your best interest.” If we choose to ignore the verbal correction we may receive from His word or a brother or sister in Christ, we could find ourselves in the midst of a physical one where God lets the circumstances around us do the correcting.
Distractions:
In order to teach the dog to obey the command in any situation, we introduce distractions and teach the dog to work through them. So often people tell me “but my dog always does it right at home.” The dog has learned to obey under a certain set of circumstances but not under all circumstances. The only way to teach the dog to obey in every situation is to introduce the dog to new and varied circumstances and distractions.
Some distractions are simply the things in life around us that cause us to be too busy to listen to the Lord. Psalm 119:37 “Turn my eyes away from worthless things.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
We often think we’re doing just fine, we have finally made it. All is good and then suddenly, that thing we thought we had dealt with comes back and we find that maybe we didn’t have it all together after all. It’s easy to be comfortable in our own world and do every thing just right, but the moment a new situation arises we discover we still need more work. This is not something to beat ourselves up about. We pray for forgiveness and guidance, which the Lord has promised us, then we get back up and try again. Distractions aren’t evil plots so God can thump us, but rather put there to shape our character and teach us to depend on the Father and keep our eyes on Him. 1 Peter 5:10 “And the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
Without training with corrections and distractions, the dog can never be completely reliable and therefore is open to all kinds of dangers. The same goes for us, if we never learn to keep our eyes focused on the Father no matter what is happening around us, we are always vulnerable to dangerous pitfalls in our spiritual lives.
The dog is given two seconds to comply to a command. After two seconds, the dog is corrected into the position that was requested. Delayed obedience, is disobedience and will lead to more and more compromise if let go.
Sometimes you’ll have a dog that will obey most of the way, but not quite all the way, it is corrected the same as if it hadn’t obeyed at all because partial obedience is also disobedience.
The Walking Exercise:
In the walking exercise, the dog learns to follow the handler wherever he/she goes, quietly and without question. In order to accomplish this, the dog is asked to follow close to the handler without lunging or pulling. The dog also learns that it is not to bark or growl at passers-by, but rather to focus its attention on the handler. As long as it stays within a certain distance, it can look around; however, it must be paying sufficient attention to the handler so that if a change in direction were made, the dog would automatically follow without having to be corrected or even spoken to.
In order to learn this, the dog must give up all rights to chase after its own desires. It learns that with the handler is the best place to be. In the beginning, toys, people and various other things might hold the most interest; but with proper training the dog will have a change in its thinking and the handler will become the primary desire. The outcome is a dog that follows close to its master with joy and enthusiasm.
The rest of the dogs training hinges on the walking exercise. Once the dog learns to follow freely and accept correction the rest is easier.
The walking exercise is the equivalent to “Come, follow me”. When Jesus said to His disciples “Come follow me”, He was asking them to give up everything in order to learn from and become like him. He was asking them to deny themselves the right of choosing their own life in order to live the life he chose for them. When he said, “take up your cross and follow me,” he was saying ‘die to your own desires and natural self and live according to what I have planned for you.’
Our natural tendency is to make our own way, to seek after material and worldly things. When we walk on our own, these natural desires will often lead us into things that go against God’s value system. Before we know Jesus, these things seem right and good to us; being able to run in our own direction feels like freedom, but it leads to death. When we learn to walk with God, we give up our right to chase after these things, we learn what is acceptable and what is not, and we learn to repent. Repentance is agreeing with God as to what sin is, and then, once we agree, we turn from sin to follow Christ. Through a change in our thinking, we find that following after Christ becomes our hearts one desire.
The walking exercise involves forgiveness, both from God and toward others. A Christian cannot have an intimate relationship with God if they are unwilling to forgive. Just as a dog can’t focus on its master if it’s busy barking at the neighbour, we can’t focus on Christ when we are living behind a wall of anger, bitterness or hatred toward someone else. We must learn to accept and view others from God’s perspective. They are also created in his image and although they may not belong to him, they are loved by him and deserving of our respect for that reason alone.
Colosians 3:1-10 says; “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
To sum it up; we give up our right to go our own way – to do our own thing. We give up our right to bark, growl, and hurt those around us. It is repentance without argument and forgiveness freely given. We learn to keep our eyes on Him – this is the beginning of obedience.
The Sit Command:
The dog must learn to sit when the handler gives the command and stay until the release word or a new command is given. The dog must learn to keep its eyes on the handler and listen for any new commands.
Sit is often used to make the dog wait for something such as its food. The sit command can be used to teach the dog self-control. By requesting the dog sit before the door is opened, it can learn the appropriate way to meet a guest.
The “sit” command is simply spending time studying the Bible and allowing it to change us. Mary understood the importance of sitting at the Master’s feet. While Martha busied herself with things, Mary settled at Jesus’ feet to learn from him. When we follow Mary’s example and open ourselves up to the Word of God, we will begin to know him in a very personal way. The Bible tells us to “Study to show yourself approved” 2 Timothy 2:15 and to “hide God’s word in your heart”. We need to spend time in the Word, learning who He really is. Learning how He expects us to respond, and learning to love Him more. We can’t have a proper relationship with someone we don’t know. God has given us the Bible so that we might know him through it. His character is clearly and consistently shown, his value system, sacrificial love for the benefit of others, is prominently displayed. If we ask him to show us more of who he is, he will open our eyes to understanding all he is and does and will change a willing heart so that we too might become like him..
2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,”
Beware of distractions; it is so easy to say “Well, I’ll read later” but we soon discover that later rarely happens. Just as a dog might want to finish sniffing the grass before it sits, all too often we have something that drags our minds away from God’s Word. There will always be time for other things; we must make time for the Lord.
The Come Command:
When given the come command the dog is expected to come in straight, fast and sit in front within touching distance of the handler. Some dogs meander slowly in, grudgingly. The look on their face seems to say “Oh, alright, whatever.” Others will race in and at the last second see something and speed right past the handler. Some dogs have such a desire to come that they can hardly contain themselves until they hear the command. They then gallop in, sliding to a stop in front so fast that they will often bump into the handler’s legs.
The come command is the time spent in prayer. The Lord prompts us and it is up to us to comply. Sometimes we grudgingly leave what we are doing to pray, the whole time thinking about our day and everything else. Sometimes we say, “Yes, I’ll pray,” and at the last moment get distracted and dash off thinking, “I’ll do it later.” Instead, when we hear that still small voice that could only be His, let us fall on our knees at His feet and pray.
Prayer is an open invitation into His presence. Just as the dog needs to come close enough for the handler to touch the collar, we need to come close enough to let God touch us and take hold of us, as we surrender ourselves up to Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Colossians 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
The Down Command:
This is the hardest command for a dog to learn. To a dog, lying down is to put itself in total submission to the handler, not all dogs want to do this. It requires surrendering and saying, “Yes, you’re the boss.” Many dogs will appear to be in a down but will hold their elbows just off the ground. A simple rule is, if the elbows aren’t down, neither is the dog. Allowing the dog to keep its elbows up even slightly can lead to future dominance related behaviour problems and even a total disregard to the handler’s authority.
Submission to God is also the most difficult thing for us to do. He asks us to submit to Him entirely and trust Him completely. We tend to say, “I surrender all (except this one little thing, you won’t mind will you?)” That is the spiritual equivalent of keeping your elbows off the ground. God doesn’t want some of me some of the time; He wants all of me all of the time. So instead, let us submit totally and completely to God. Surrender everything to Him. Give up everything and trust fully in His ability to lead and guide you safely through. Hold nothing back – if your “elbows” aren’t touching, you haven’t surrendered all – you haven’t learned total obedience or trust.
Philippians 3:8 “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ”
When we submit totally and completely, we gain Christ, totally and completely.
Tricks:
Tricks are taught without corrections. They are commands that ask a dog to do things that don’t make any sense to him. Some people don’t view tricks as being part of obedience; however, without the dog desiring to do the trick on its own, it can’t be done. This is a special part of obedience; it’s a willingness to give what it doesn’t understand just because we ask for it. How much more obedient can you get?
Sometimes God will ask us to do things that don’t make sense to us or those around us. We might just have a feeling that we can’t shake that is requiring us to do something out of the ordinary. Duncan Campbell had such a feeling while he was speaking at a conference. He told those who had invited him to speak that he must leave before his final address and set out for a destination he had never been to. Such behaviour would seem foolish to some, however his obedience was an answer to prayer for a brother in Christ and led to a revival that swept through the area like a storm. Repeatedly in the New Testament Paul talks about the things of God seeming to be foolishness to man; are you willing to be a fool for Christ? “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” 1Corinthians 1:25
Advanced Obedience:
Once you have learned basic obedience the next step is advanced obedience. This is where we really get in tune with God. We learn to sit from a down and down from a sit, it doesn’t matter how far off He seems, we keep our eyes on Him and He will keep us safe.
Other things we learn: Heeling – the art of walking in perfect step with the Master. With our eyes focused on Him we can’t possibly make a wrong turn.
The flying down – dropping into a down position from a dead run. Oh to be able to hear His voice and fall on my face before Him regardless of the chaos around me.
Directed out run – where He sends me I will go. I don’t know the reason or what will happen when I get there but I want to say “I will go with joy and speed for I know my Master and His purpose is always good.”
Worship:
Maybe you are thinking I’ve left out one important part of obedience, worship. One client put it in perspective for me when she was watching me training with my dog. She said, “I love to watch you work with Darcy, she worships you.”
Obedience IS our worship; it’s the laying down of our whole selves - body, heart, mind, and soul - for the glory of God.
Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – which is your spiritual worship.”
Perhaps you are wondering did I go into search and rescue. Within six months of returning home it was evident that my dog would have to be put down. Darcy, the puppy God had persuaded me to buy in Victoria didn’t have a talent for searching. I asked God about it and He said, “What is to search but to seek, what is to rescue but to save. I came to seek and save the lost – there is your search and rescue.”
Several years ago I was struggling with trying to obey God with a list of do’s and don’ts and I wasn’t being very successful. I desperately wanted to serve Him but had no idea where to start or how to get there. I was in the process of training a very talented dog who had an incredible ability to find people by scent. It was suggested by some that I should go into search and rescue with her and through various happenings, the Lord led me to believe that this was the way I was to go. There was only one problem, my dog hated other dogs and would try to attack when given the opportunity. This unacceptable behaviour stood between me and search and rescue training and so through prayer God led me to take a professional dog trainers course in Victoria.
That’s where it happened. He had me cornered in the solitude of a lonely motel room for two whole months. As I studied my Bible each day He began to show me that the obedience I was teaching dogs was in many ways the same as what He expected from me. Not an endless list of do’s and don’ts but some very simple commands that would lead me into a closer relationship with Him and a whole new adventure in my life. In simple terms, He showed me the way to walk in obedience to Him and this is what I want to share with you.
The obedience my dog does is somewhat different from obedience you may have seen in competition or have taken in class with your own dog. There is a reason for this; we have now learned that dogs communicate in certain ways that the old style of very strict obedience goes against. Perfectly straight comes and sits are considered rude and offensive in the dog world. I consider the extremely formal obedience to be a type of legalism. It puts unnecessary stress on the dog and most of it has absolutely nothing to do with real obedience anyway; this is much like many of our church traditions.
The dogs I train learn to be obedient without the extreme rules that go against what they are naturally able to understand. Obedience to God is also this simple. It’s not a matter of rules and regulations so much as it’s a matter of relationship. When the relationship is right, the obedience will be quick and joyful, when the obedience is quick and joyful, the relationship is right, and growing in the direction it should.
Before you can train a dog there are some basic principles you need to understand.
Corrections:
The first thing is the proper use of corrections. There are many different corrections that can be used. In order to be effective and fair they must be timed perfectly. Some corrections simply make the dog uncomfortable while others are a hard and direct challenge to the dogs desire to be pack leader. Do not say “NO” to your dog for everything, Sometimes you will only say “uh, uh”, “NO” is reserved for only the things that you NEVER want the dog to do such as chewing, biting, or stealing food. Verbal corrections, like “uh-uh” can be used to communicate that the dog has made a mistake and it is then given the opportunity to obey the command. If the dog still refuses, a physical correction is used to teach the dog to comply.
Many people don’t think it’s necessary to use physical corrections on a dog, however dogs will physically correct each other. It’s something that is part of their nature, they understand and respond well as long as the corrections are fair. Corrections are used to teach the dog it needs to obey simply because the handler said so which in turn can, in some circumstances, save the dogs life. While this may sound like forced training it is actually building a relationship with the dog. All dog packs must have a leader and most dogs do not wish to lead. By using a fair and understandable correction you show the dog that you are someone worth following.
God uses discipline because he loves us.
Hebrews 12:10-11 “Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful, Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
God says “NO” for the things we must never do. This is for our protection not to make us miserable. Very often He says, “Uh, uh, this isn’t in your best interest.” If we choose to ignore the verbal correction we may receive from His word or a brother or sister in Christ, we could find ourselves in the midst of a physical one where God lets the circumstances around us do the correcting.
Distractions:
In order to teach the dog to obey the command in any situation, we introduce distractions and teach the dog to work through them. So often people tell me “but my dog always does it right at home.” The dog has learned to obey under a certain set of circumstances but not under all circumstances. The only way to teach the dog to obey in every situation is to introduce the dog to new and varied circumstances and distractions.
Some distractions are simply the things in life around us that cause us to be too busy to listen to the Lord. Psalm 119:37 “Turn my eyes away from worthless things.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
We often think we’re doing just fine, we have finally made it. All is good and then suddenly, that thing we thought we had dealt with comes back and we find that maybe we didn’t have it all together after all. It’s easy to be comfortable in our own world and do every thing just right, but the moment a new situation arises we discover we still need more work. This is not something to beat ourselves up about. We pray for forgiveness and guidance, which the Lord has promised us, then we get back up and try again. Distractions aren’t evil plots so God can thump us, but rather put there to shape our character and teach us to depend on the Father and keep our eyes on Him. 1 Peter 5:10 “And the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
Without training with corrections and distractions, the dog can never be completely reliable and therefore is open to all kinds of dangers. The same goes for us, if we never learn to keep our eyes focused on the Father no matter what is happening around us, we are always vulnerable to dangerous pitfalls in our spiritual lives.
The dog is given two seconds to comply to a command. After two seconds, the dog is corrected into the position that was requested. Delayed obedience, is disobedience and will lead to more and more compromise if let go.
Sometimes you’ll have a dog that will obey most of the way, but not quite all the way, it is corrected the same as if it hadn’t obeyed at all because partial obedience is also disobedience.
The Walking Exercise:
In the walking exercise, the dog learns to follow the handler wherever he/she goes, quietly and without question. In order to accomplish this, the dog is asked to follow close to the handler without lunging or pulling. The dog also learns that it is not to bark or growl at passers-by, but rather to focus its attention on the handler. As long as it stays within a certain distance, it can look around; however, it must be paying sufficient attention to the handler so that if a change in direction were made, the dog would automatically follow without having to be corrected or even spoken to.
In order to learn this, the dog must give up all rights to chase after its own desires. It learns that with the handler is the best place to be. In the beginning, toys, people and various other things might hold the most interest; but with proper training the dog will have a change in its thinking and the handler will become the primary desire. The outcome is a dog that follows close to its master with joy and enthusiasm.
The rest of the dogs training hinges on the walking exercise. Once the dog learns to follow freely and accept correction the rest is easier.
The walking exercise is the equivalent to “Come, follow me”. When Jesus said to His disciples “Come follow me”, He was asking them to give up everything in order to learn from and become like him. He was asking them to deny themselves the right of choosing their own life in order to live the life he chose for them. When he said, “take up your cross and follow me,” he was saying ‘die to your own desires and natural self and live according to what I have planned for you.’
Our natural tendency is to make our own way, to seek after material and worldly things. When we walk on our own, these natural desires will often lead us into things that go against God’s value system. Before we know Jesus, these things seem right and good to us; being able to run in our own direction feels like freedom, but it leads to death. When we learn to walk with God, we give up our right to chase after these things, we learn what is acceptable and what is not, and we learn to repent. Repentance is agreeing with God as to what sin is, and then, once we agree, we turn from sin to follow Christ. Through a change in our thinking, we find that following after Christ becomes our hearts one desire.
The walking exercise involves forgiveness, both from God and toward others. A Christian cannot have an intimate relationship with God if they are unwilling to forgive. Just as a dog can’t focus on its master if it’s busy barking at the neighbour, we can’t focus on Christ when we are living behind a wall of anger, bitterness or hatred toward someone else. We must learn to accept and view others from God’s perspective. They are also created in his image and although they may not belong to him, they are loved by him and deserving of our respect for that reason alone.
Colosians 3:1-10 says; “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
To sum it up; we give up our right to go our own way – to do our own thing. We give up our right to bark, growl, and hurt those around us. It is repentance without argument and forgiveness freely given. We learn to keep our eyes on Him – this is the beginning of obedience.
The Sit Command:
The dog must learn to sit when the handler gives the command and stay until the release word or a new command is given. The dog must learn to keep its eyes on the handler and listen for any new commands.
Sit is often used to make the dog wait for something such as its food. The sit command can be used to teach the dog self-control. By requesting the dog sit before the door is opened, it can learn the appropriate way to meet a guest.
The “sit” command is simply spending time studying the Bible and allowing it to change us. Mary understood the importance of sitting at the Master’s feet. While Martha busied herself with things, Mary settled at Jesus’ feet to learn from him. When we follow Mary’s example and open ourselves up to the Word of God, we will begin to know him in a very personal way. The Bible tells us to “Study to show yourself approved” 2 Timothy 2:15 and to “hide God’s word in your heart”. We need to spend time in the Word, learning who He really is. Learning how He expects us to respond, and learning to love Him more. We can’t have a proper relationship with someone we don’t know. God has given us the Bible so that we might know him through it. His character is clearly and consistently shown, his value system, sacrificial love for the benefit of others, is prominently displayed. If we ask him to show us more of who he is, he will open our eyes to understanding all he is and does and will change a willing heart so that we too might become like him..
2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,”
Beware of distractions; it is so easy to say “Well, I’ll read later” but we soon discover that later rarely happens. Just as a dog might want to finish sniffing the grass before it sits, all too often we have something that drags our minds away from God’s Word. There will always be time for other things; we must make time for the Lord.
The Come Command:
When given the come command the dog is expected to come in straight, fast and sit in front within touching distance of the handler. Some dogs meander slowly in, grudgingly. The look on their face seems to say “Oh, alright, whatever.” Others will race in and at the last second see something and speed right past the handler. Some dogs have such a desire to come that they can hardly contain themselves until they hear the command. They then gallop in, sliding to a stop in front so fast that they will often bump into the handler’s legs.
The come command is the time spent in prayer. The Lord prompts us and it is up to us to comply. Sometimes we grudgingly leave what we are doing to pray, the whole time thinking about our day and everything else. Sometimes we say, “Yes, I’ll pray,” and at the last moment get distracted and dash off thinking, “I’ll do it later.” Instead, when we hear that still small voice that could only be His, let us fall on our knees at His feet and pray.
Prayer is an open invitation into His presence. Just as the dog needs to come close enough for the handler to touch the collar, we need to come close enough to let God touch us and take hold of us, as we surrender ourselves up to Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Colossians 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
The Down Command:
This is the hardest command for a dog to learn. To a dog, lying down is to put itself in total submission to the handler, not all dogs want to do this. It requires surrendering and saying, “Yes, you’re the boss.” Many dogs will appear to be in a down but will hold their elbows just off the ground. A simple rule is, if the elbows aren’t down, neither is the dog. Allowing the dog to keep its elbows up even slightly can lead to future dominance related behaviour problems and even a total disregard to the handler’s authority.
Submission to God is also the most difficult thing for us to do. He asks us to submit to Him entirely and trust Him completely. We tend to say, “I surrender all (except this one little thing, you won’t mind will you?)” That is the spiritual equivalent of keeping your elbows off the ground. God doesn’t want some of me some of the time; He wants all of me all of the time. So instead, let us submit totally and completely to God. Surrender everything to Him. Give up everything and trust fully in His ability to lead and guide you safely through. Hold nothing back – if your “elbows” aren’t touching, you haven’t surrendered all – you haven’t learned total obedience or trust.
Philippians 3:8 “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ”
When we submit totally and completely, we gain Christ, totally and completely.
Tricks:
Tricks are taught without corrections. They are commands that ask a dog to do things that don’t make any sense to him. Some people don’t view tricks as being part of obedience; however, without the dog desiring to do the trick on its own, it can’t be done. This is a special part of obedience; it’s a willingness to give what it doesn’t understand just because we ask for it. How much more obedient can you get?
Sometimes God will ask us to do things that don’t make sense to us or those around us. We might just have a feeling that we can’t shake that is requiring us to do something out of the ordinary. Duncan Campbell had such a feeling while he was speaking at a conference. He told those who had invited him to speak that he must leave before his final address and set out for a destination he had never been to. Such behaviour would seem foolish to some, however his obedience was an answer to prayer for a brother in Christ and led to a revival that swept through the area like a storm. Repeatedly in the New Testament Paul talks about the things of God seeming to be foolishness to man; are you willing to be a fool for Christ? “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” 1Corinthians 1:25
Advanced Obedience:
Once you have learned basic obedience the next step is advanced obedience. This is where we really get in tune with God. We learn to sit from a down and down from a sit, it doesn’t matter how far off He seems, we keep our eyes on Him and He will keep us safe.
Other things we learn: Heeling – the art of walking in perfect step with the Master. With our eyes focused on Him we can’t possibly make a wrong turn.
The flying down – dropping into a down position from a dead run. Oh to be able to hear His voice and fall on my face before Him regardless of the chaos around me.
Directed out run – where He sends me I will go. I don’t know the reason or what will happen when I get there but I want to say “I will go with joy and speed for I know my Master and His purpose is always good.”
Worship:
Maybe you are thinking I’ve left out one important part of obedience, worship. One client put it in perspective for me when she was watching me training with my dog. She said, “I love to watch you work with Darcy, she worships you.”
Obedience IS our worship; it’s the laying down of our whole selves - body, heart, mind, and soul - for the glory of God.
Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – which is your spiritual worship.”
Perhaps you are wondering did I go into search and rescue. Within six months of returning home it was evident that my dog would have to be put down. Darcy, the puppy God had persuaded me to buy in Victoria didn’t have a talent for searching. I asked God about it and He said, “What is to search but to seek, what is to rescue but to save. I came to seek and save the lost – there is your search and rescue.”
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