Dog Obedience - or a lack thereof

Hi All,

I am sure this will be quite a surprise for fans of Baron, but dog obedience is not one of Baron's strengths. I would love to tell you that he really tries hard, but has difficulty mastering it. Unfortunately, I don't think he tries. He stands there with a twinkle in his eye, barely suppressing a chortle.

He is perfectly able to come, sit, stay, down, etc. - when he wants to, if he's in the mood and if I have awesome treats. Unfortunately, now that he is limited to duck and potato and I have yet to purchase a food dehydrator, his enthusiasm has diminished. He shows definite potential at home (unless he is busy), but with other dogs around - forget it!

Baron's favorite activity (besides the dog park) is dog obedience class where he gets to see his friends or potential friends. The small detail that his classmates are apple polishers and he is not, does not dampen his enthusiasm.

At our last class, Baron was, well, the worst in the class (too bad there is not an award for that). There were only 5 dogs in the class, and one of them, Beauregard is a white standard poodle, 8 years old. I was not encouraged to note that Beauregard still jumps enthusiastically on his owner, a lovely, slight woman, dressed in a skirt, and demonstrating admirable tolerance for her "best friend." The fact that she has been working with our trainer for several years is not necessarily a compliment to him.

All for today,
Botswain