Bryson is teaching us who's really needing the training here. Here we are, diligently practising our "sit" and "down" thousands of times a day. Each time Bryson performs a move correctly (or even incorrectly), we humans gets so excited that we automatically go into this sequence: squeal repeatedly ("yeah! good boy!"), pat head, give treat. In essense, Bryson has conditioned us into perfect Treat Dispensing Machines.
OK, human, now, extend right hand from behind your back, drop treat in my mouth
Hey human! What's the hold up?! Errrr, I'll get the treat myself
OK human, this one's easy. Reach down with right hand, retrieve bone, lay it in front of me, you can do it
Even though Bryson thinks he has us trained, we decided we need to go to obedience class to get some professional help. It's a funny story how we found out about this class. It's offered by a lady named Sasha who owns a company called In the Company of Dogs. One day, on a walk by the Emeryville Marina, we ran into this lady (whom we later know to be Sasha) and her 3 dogs. Immediately we noticed that Bryson loves playing with one of her dogs (a bichon-frise mix? called DJ), a rarity given he's a bit shy (or snooty, or regal, whatever you wanna call it). We had a great conversation with the lady while watching them play, talking about corgis, good parks in the area, home-made treats, just general doggy chit-chat. Then when we remarked on how well-trained her dogs are and how we hope Bryson's first obedience class at Sirius will go well that weekend, she goes, "well, I'm a dog trainer too and my class also starts this weekend". Well, it's a no brainer from that point on. We like her, Bryson adores DJ, her dogs are like 3 perfect angels. Count us in! And here we are at our first class a few days later:
Bryson: look at those amateurs, I think we're doing much better. BTW, that's Sasha in green and DJ in his fluffy white coat
I think that guy in the back's a bit unstable, we'd better move
It was a good class. Bryson had learned how to do a "down" from his first class (or should we say we have learned to dispense treats when Bryson does a down), there was no dog fight and no illegal indoor defecation (only 2 dogs had to excuse themselves to avoid hyperventilation). Now if we could only train him to walk himself, or even better, pee and poop in the toilet (and flush and leave the seat down when he's done).
Now we realize that all work and no play makes Bryson a dull boy. Here're some playtime pictures:
Leisurely stroll on a beautiful sandy beach (OK, more like a muddy beach full of sticks and rocks)
Ahhh... Point Isabel, the largest off-leash dog park in America, even the air smells fresher here
Eh... I thought we just met
Look! Another corgi! OK, you can sniff my behind
Intelligent corgis lined up for a tasty treat from the latest model Human Treat Dispenser 2.0
Say cheeeeeeeze!!
Do we have to go?? I looooove this place!
Can we go back to Point Isabel.... pu-leeeeaz.......
