Now that things are quieting down again, it’s time to resume Mom and Dad’s obedience training! Asa and I once again enrolled our parents for classes with their trainer who specializes in “helping dogs with human problems.” I have to admit though, they have certainly made a lot of progress since we started their training last summer.
When we last left off in this series, I was proud of Mom and Dad’s improvement in polite leash walking. Long story short, prior to summer school Mom and Dad refused to run fast enough behind us, leaving Asa and I with no choice but to drag them along. It was always our responsibility to lead the way. Yet it was also our responsibility to keep Mom and Dad safe while tethered to us. That’s a lot of responsibility for dogs! Mom and Dad’s trainer taught them that if we walk side by side, we are better able to react to any situation as a team, not to mention build Mom and Dad’s confidence.
Not to brag, but I will, our neighbors have noticed the improvements and compliment Mom and Dad now on their leash walking skills. Even complete strangers have stopped us while out on adventures to comment on how well we work as a team. Ok, I admit old habits die hard and Mom still needs a little work. When we encounter things that in the past would have made her slow down while we charged ahead, I can still feel Mom tighten up on my leash and brace herself. However rather than surge forward, I now use this opportunity to show her that she can trust me to stay by her side and not leave her. After all, we are team and will face all obstacles together.
Despite their progress, Asa and I couldn’t help but notice both Mom and Dad are starting to get a bit distracted on their walks with us again. So the goal of sending them back to obedience school is to remind them they need to walk mindfully with us. I know neighborhood patrol is a bit predictable, but that doesn’t give Mom and Dad a free pass to walk on autopilot and forget they are tethered to us. Therefore during their first class back their trainer reminded them that they need to always be focused on the task at hand. He suggested rather than walk in a straight line, we should mix things up a bit by not taking the most direct route down the road or perhaps a different route all together, thus keeping us all alert. Although we run the risk of looking drunk as we zig zag our way down the road, I admit this is good advice for Asa too. I can always tell when my brother isn’t taking neighborhood patrol serious and singing his silly songs in his head instead. By keeping our pace and direction a bit unpredictable, this helps to keep Asa, Mom and Dad completely focused on the task at hand. Polite leash walking is all about team work, and not writing a new song or worrying about a report due for work!
Another skill Mom and Dad mastered during their previous lessons was making us the center of attention. Clearly Mom and Dad weren’t respecting us. Therefore, Asa and I learned to stand our ground…or in this case sit on the ground, to make them focus on us for a change. I have to admit it was tough letting go of my invisible leash and letting Mom and Dad freely wander away from us, while Asa and I sat in one spot. Also it took a bit of convincing, not to mention an actual pedestal, to get Asa accustomed to being the center of attention and not chase down his adoring fans. However, I’m happy to report Asa, Mom and Dad’s mastery of this new skill went beyond my wildest expectations while we were visiting Fort Knox in Prospect, Maine.
Prior to Mom and Dad’s training, Asa would embarrass us in public by always being too eager to greet our fans. One squeal of “look at that dog!” and he’d forget his sit/stay and be off to greet them. What he learned though was we get far more attention if we stay seated in one spot. Case in point at Fort Knox we proudly basked in the spotlight, while Mom and Dad stood off to the side admiring us too. In fact, Mom wasn’t even with us at first! She helped Dad put us in a sit/stay on some stone seating, then went into the gift shop while Dad stayed with us. It took a few minutes, but Mom realized the other folks in the gift shop were cooing and looking out the door and window at something. One glance out, and she saw Asa and I surrounded and posing for all the visitors’ cameras! Asa didn’t spring up to greet anyone! Dad didn’t get jealous of our fame and jump in front of us to regain control of our leashes. In fact, Mom abandoned her souvenir shopping and came outside to snap a few pictures of us along with the throngs of admirers, while Dad answered their questions.
I have to admit though, it’s me not Asa, Dad or Mom who still needs a bit of work on this skill. I may have accepted my role in the spotlight. But last month on my quest to get the perfect selfie with Santa, I realized I get a bit star struck. I need to work on keeping my composure when greeting celebrities. However, Mom and Dad’s trainer says it happens to the best of us, and he’ll help me to curb my enthusiasm. Their trainer also said he has “big plans for Mom and Dad” in the months ahead, to which I’m very excited to see what he teaches them. So stay tuned as we continue Mom and Dad’s obedience training! Also if you’d like a recap of their stint in summer school, on our website, LivingwithaGolden.com, you can search “Dog Training” and find our previous posts.
