Saturday, October 4, 2008

The Luka Chronicles -chapter 3 - Who Is That Good Dog?

It is October and the tomatoes are all picked, the houseplants are ready to come inside, and I am totally uninspired, so its time to pull out the old Luka Chronicles. So here goes:

Luka had her third class last night and I knew it was a red-letter day when we WALKED into PetSmart. It is the first time EVER that we walked into the store. Actually it is the first time ever that we walked anywhere in a calm & sedate manner. On all previous occasions I was sliding in on my heels as Luka dragged me. I felt quite grand just walking in with my obedient and alert dog at my side.

For another milestone, Luka's teacher used her as a demo dog for "come." When there are treats in hand Luka "comes" very well. This has nothing to do with the new harness, but I did not mention that. And Luka's teacher does have the best treats. She had liver bites and lamb trachea crunchies. (I really didn't like being in the same room with lamb trachea crunchies!) But what self-respecting dog could resist? On the subject of treats, the cat treats were also a hit with Luka. I had thought to try them because they are tiny & stinky. And despite my son’s concerns, the other dogs did not make fun of her.

Luka only barked a few times and, miracle of miracles, she was not the worst dog in class. There was a long-haired Chihuahua who was cutting up quite a bit and making trouble with his neighbors. But not Luka!

We practiced “come” and “down” and “settle.” These “come” and “down” are things Luka really knows well and if bribery is involved, she is quite amenable. When we were practicing "settle" our neighbor Snoopy was told by his mom to look at how good Luka was!

Still glowing with success,

Patty & Luka

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