Max was about 12 weeks old and carried a tennis ball around with him almost constantly. Before this was a little lamb. We had to have 4 of these so I could wash them. The first time I washed the lamb he sat beside the washer until it came out, forget the dryer. He had to have it right then and how dare I make him go without for SOOOO LOOONG.

That is how he was with toys. His toy drive was there from the very beginning and much stronger than his food drive, which is one way he was easier to train.

This photo is him sleeping with his lamb at 7 weeks.

I hear this scream once again (mentioned in last blog) this time from the kitchen. I had to go see what was going to end life as we know it.

His ball was IN his water bowl.

Oh No!! What on earth was a puppy to do? I told him that he dropped it in the bowl and he was smart enough to get it out. He looked at me like I had 2 heads and grumbled something. He would do this so many times in his life.

His solution: to drink the water down to a level where he could get his ball. Yes we know he could have just held his breath and gotten it. But he was young and I wanted to see what he would do. He sloshed around all day with his belly full of water. He was one miserable puppy. I made sure to take him outside many more times that day and on a very regular schedule.

A few weeks later I hear a familiar scream in the kitchen. The ball was in the water bowl again and this time much fuller than the last time. Oh No! The end of the world was coming soon and it was so tragic. I asked him, "so how will you get your ball this time?" He looked at me like I had 2 heads again and grumbled something. He looked at his ball, looked back at me, did this a few more times as the thought was brewing, then proceeded to -

Turn his water bowl over and rescue the ball.

I am saying "Good Boy, you figured it out! You are so smart!" And he is prancing victory laps around me. It is super important to celebrate those times. He thought about it and came to a different / better answer.

What about the water? It was just water, no need to get upset. The floor got mopped. The celebration was way more important. I told him to figure it out and he did. He did what I asked of him. To get onto him at that moment would NOT have been good for our bond or his trust of me. It is only water.

Sometimes in life, it is only water. It took me many years to learn this same approach with people. And still it trips me up. Will it matter in a few hours, weeks, years? Most likely, no. Cheering people on is so much more rewarding. I try to look for ways to encourage. We are told to:

And God encourages us and gives us strength.

This verse does not mean I get what I want. This means I am searching for Gods answers and guidance and the way he would want me to solve any given problem. Am I perfect? NO WAY! I spill water too. I also make myself miserable sometimes, when the best answer is not what I go with. God gives grace and it is sufficient for all my many mess ups.

I am extremely grateful for the ones in my life who have taught me how to grow, stretch my comfort zone, laugh, and give me support. I am also thankful for a hair clip side gig that allows for many jeep trips, and it is the perfect way to contain the crazy jeep hair into beautiful hair. Here are the links if you are interested in the Jeep Jewelry www.gatewoodsjubilee.biz. or you can go to www.LillaRose.biz/Gatewood for that amazing hair Flexiclip.

The jeep hairclips are available with this Google form or at a show. To get a free video of 9 easy hairstyles and a chance to win a free Flexi Sport, register here: MuddyDogJeepBlog . For more styling videos you can check out my YouTube channel Gatewood's Jubilee .

Max puppy story - Puppies love to play with toys and balls