Robyn Martins: Good fences
01.01.70
February is Dog Training Tutoring Month, so it seems fitting we would be in the process of training our dog. I notice, though, the designation suggests more than solely teaching the dog a few new tricks — it’s clear the dog owners must learn to coach before offering even the first treat.
When my husband and I enrolled our puppy in a training genre, we immediately discovered we were the ones being trained. We learned to be consistent, comradely and patient yet firm, to be prudent with the treats and, in general, to be pack leaders.
After we mastered the art of teaching our new dog to sit, lay, constitutional on the leash without wrenching a shoulder and play with the cat without flinging it, we decided it was stretch for a potty bell. Several dog-owning friends recommended a bell that the dog rings when he needs to go shell. Big Puppy was so quick to learn this trick that now it’s clear we have been trained. You can almost see his hurtful wheels turning — hmmm, every time I ring the bell, they run for the door. I like this bell proprietorship, he mumbles to himself.
Source: New Philadelphia Times Reporter