Common Sense and Judgement;

 

Good/Bad Judgement: 

I have over my many years had faulty judgement on occasion. It started when I was about 6 years old. Another child from outside our neighborhood approached me and said he wanted to be friends. As I turned my back the next thing I knew is I was on the sidewalk and he was on me banging my head on the cement. Fortunately my dad was close and yanked the boy off and warned him not to come to our neighborhood again. I learned that people who appear friendly are often not so. To this day I don't like people behind my back. There have been several (too many) cases of bad judgement since. 

Good Judgement I Can Trust: 

In spite of my bad judgement my deep seated love for dogs has provided me with flawless judgement. We are with our dogs almost 24/7, and as such we observe their behavior. When a stranger comes in our house for service or a visit our dogs tell us if they are to be trusted. Our past boy Bozwell would go across the room and carefully observe the  person. Our girl Lucy will position herself between myself and the stranger. They would appear friendly to most people but are on high alert until the person has been processed by them. 

Their Behavior When The Person Has Been Processed:

When they have satisficed themselves the person is okay their posture is relaxed and more normal. They tell us  if we can trust the stranger or not. They are still relaxed but watchful. I have read some of the studies that confirm dogs can sense a good or bad person. Any astute dog owner already knows this from experience. At least in our dogs they do not growl or their hair bristle but their body language tells us a lot. Judgement I trust completely and pay close attention to when others are around. 

Horse Sense: 

The term horse sense originated in the west in the 1800's and means good common sense. Our dogs have keen sense and can tell our moods or pain. Most wild animals have good sense also and can tell if we mean them harm or not. We have seen this demonstrated numerous times since living with the wild animals for many years. They are on full alert when we encounter them but when they sense no danger they quickly revert back to normal behavior. Common sense is not always common. Our dogs expect us to exercise good common sense when it comes to them. They can do things that could cause them harm but together we each help the other with our different gifts. 

Working Together: 

It is a beautiful thing to see these two aspects working together. Not all humans are attuned to what their canine family member offers nor do some humans have good common sense. It is there however if we just tap into it and take advantage of the union. These things I have both observed and applied for many years successfully.  

Ruby our deaf but loyal and loving girl at age 14 years old.