Frodo here. You humans. You DO require a LOT of training. Yesterday it was a case of training her highness to say the correct words…
Yesterday morning was notable. We all slept in until 7:30. 7:30! Half the day was over. Anyway, we got up and her highness looked outdoors because by now it was fully light outside. It was windy. And grey. But the temperature was above freezing. Which meant that the public trail would be one big muddy trench. It was a bit like that the day before, combined with icy patches. A perfect recipe for much grumbling on the part of her highness. I, personally, try to avoid water and mud – as I know the combination will later result in a trip to the tub. So I stay on any snowy patches I can find. Meanwhile, the beatnik forges through anything. He doesn’t care. I suppose that is one of the advantages to his easy care coat. Lucky him.
But I digress. So yesterday, given the late launch time and the grey day, her highness announced we would go down to the lake instead. It’s a shorter walk and frankly that was fine by me as I knew I would get breakfast sooner. So off we went. We made our “deposits,” looked at the lake, and headed back to the house. Yours truly was off leash – but the potential escapee was on leash. We went in the house and her highness announced that she needed to go up to the road to get the paper. I immediately went to the door. I quite enjoy the paper routine. She feeds me treats if I heel alongside, and when she tells me to sit and stay half way up the driveway while she goes to the road, I am happy to comply. It means more treats when she returns. So yesterday as I was sitting and watching her, I noticed her looking down into the ditch at the side of the road. It appears we have a new paper delivery person who does not bother to put the paper in the box, but rather tosses it on the driveway. And if it’s windy, as it was yesterday, it easily lands up in the ditch. I could see her highness trying to figure out how to get down into the ditch. Do to do without actually climbing down would require her to walk back down the driveway and walk down where the slope is less steep. But then she had an idea. She thought she would attempt a “Lassie” move. She called yours truly to come to her aid.
I, of course, raced to her knowing her pocket was loaded with treats. She rewarded me for my recall. Then she pointed at the paper, wrapped in plastic, down in the ditch and said “Get it.” I looked at the paper and ran right down into the ditch. Stepping on the paper as I went. I went right past it. Her highness said “get it. Get it.” I raced around in circles. And I raced back up to her. Without the paper. She tried again- saying “get it,” and yours truly did the same thing- as if I didn’t even see the paper. Her highness figured she would just have to go down herself, so she looked around to see if she could actually try to climb down. She called me back to her. And then, in a moment of brilliance, which she doesn’t always display, she thought she would try the Lassie move one more time. But this time, she told me what to do, with different words. THIS TIME, she said “take it” which is what she would say when training me in obedience to retrieve a dumbbell. And, of course, I went right down and got the paper. She showered me with treats. It was a joyful reunion. Why didn’t she simply say that in the first place? Humans. They can be quite entertaining- once you have them well trained…
Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter. 