Some Good Ideas About Drawing Moving Dogs

Monday, my friend Anne gave me a book she found at our local Friends of the Library Bookstore. The book is titled Keeping A Nature Journal and is written by Clare Leslie Walker and Charles E. Roth (no relation).
Ms. Walker has a wonderful, spontaneous drawing style and she includes some great instructions about drawing. I was drawn (pun intended) to Chapter 9, Getting Started Drawing. Since I teach drawing and have put together drawing techniques from a variety of books I've read and classes I have taken I was curious to learn what methods Ms. Walker and Mr. Roth like to use.
We all agree that drawing is a skill that can be learned with practice. They also think one needs concentration and disciple and time to learn drawing. The word discipline makes me nervous. I am not sure if I have any and I don't think I can order that from Cheapjoes Art Supplies.
On page 173 I read the directions for Quick Gesture Sketches, "these are used in art school with models who move in timed sequences," say Leslie and Roth.
My dog models are always moving and changing their poses on me before I've finished my drawings, so I decided to try a gesture drawing of Socks my old hound dog. Luckily he was quite sleepy and more then happy to curl up in his new bed and pose for me for 10 minutes before he changed positions. I was pleased with using gesture for Socks. I think he was too.