If you are a mature functioning adult like me (haha), how aware are you of all the bits that are involved in driving on a busy road? If you do a fair bit of driving or you drive for a job, you probably do not have to actively think about the hundreds of decisions, movements, rules that you are following and making on any given trip.
BUT
Do you remember when you first learned to drive a car? Were you thrown behind the wheel in rush hour traffic ? (I hope not!) Or did you get to drive somewhere safely away from everyone, or at home up and down the driveway?
Did someone you know and trust teach you how the vehicle works and what all the parts are? From adjusting the seat, the mirrors, putting on a seatbelt, where to put each foot and what the pedals do through to how to start the car, where to place your hands and how loud to have the stereo.
Were you taught how to problem solve and what to do when X happens i.e. to check the oil, how to change a tyre, how to pop the hood and where the petrol goes.
Did you change every gear smoothly or did you round off a few edges in the transmission with that grinding crunch? Did you always change on time or did that poor wee car bunny hop as you got the hang of it?
Were you yelled at for getting it wrong or were you supported and set up to win? How did you feel about that?
Followed by all the "boring" yet entirely necessary for survival, reading of the road code, practicing the tests, observing a licensed driver and then - only then - allowed to drive around town with other real live cars with real live people, displaying your striking yellow L plates of course.
Did you get it right, every single time from the very beginning, or were there muck ups along the way?
Dogs are amazing creatures that we often take for granted. We put expectations on them that are significantly higher than those we place on ourselves, yet we expect them, a totally different species to slot in to our very human world from the moment they join us.
What are the chances of getting smarter, not rougher with the canines we choose to bring in to our lives?
The chances are a whole lot better if you are willing to learn or reach out for help!