None of the traditional training modalities I had been studying were successful in calming or controlling a pack that size. Instead, they inflamed the energy of the room, making the pack even more hyper and unpredictable.
Sitting in my office, taking a moment of reprieve from the noisy pack, I heard a bang, a squeal, then silence. The sound sequence frightened me sober and unexpectedly brought me into a state of pure presence. When I entered the main playroom to investigate what happened, I saw everything with a Beginner’s Eye.
Suddenly, the voice in my head quieted, sounds became clear, and I could feel the dogs’ emotions as if they were my own. I observed that they were all communicating with each other. Henry, the old golden retriever, yawned, not because he was tired, but because he was making a signal to relax the puppies’ energy. Marge, the Shih Tzu, always looked away from others when she peed, not because she was shy, but because this angle tells the other dogs to give her some space and peace.