I take training seriously, I believe in never giving any command I can’t carry through on, or make the dog obey. I make Fate sit, lie down and stay every time she leaves the house, goes to the pasture, eats her food. I am no hard-ass but I pride myself on being consistent and clear, and asserting my leadership continuously. I don’t have push dogs, they never leave a room or go out a door before me. And I have a dog, Red, who never misbehaves and is eager to obey any command instantly.

I look away at few things, I take training very seriously…But, you can’t take life all that seriously around a dog like Fate.

Fate is a different animal than Red, she is feisty, independent,  headstrong, ingenious and intensely curious. Today I came into the kitchen and saw that she had gone into the bathroom, discovered a roll of toilet paper and had a good time pulling on it and bring the paper out into the kitchen. She looked slightly guilty, I think she knew this was a no-no, but she was willing to take the heat, as she often is.

I was going to correct her, to say “no” sharply and take the paper away, but I just didn’t have the heart. Sometimes this dog is just too cute, I cracked up and laughed and she ran over to me, tail wagging, and I picked her up and gave her a kiss on the nose.

Fate is such a good dog, she works so hard and learns so much, I just couldn’t scold or even correct her. Sometimes she brings out the wuss in me.