IN AND OUT BONEHEAD

 POST # 584

A few years ago, I came across a cartoon which depicted a human and a cat, standing in front of a door.  The cat wanted to go outside. In the lower right hand corner of the cartoon, there was a timer, with the numbers 0.00 on it.  The human opens the door, the cat goes out, and the timer begins.  The next frame of the cartoon shows the human letting the cat back in.  The timer measured just how long the cat had been outside.  It now read, 0.01.  The cat had spent exactly one second outside before it wanted to come back inside.  Anyone who has ever owned a cat, has probably experienced something along these lines.

This past week, I have come to the conclusion that Toby must be part cat.  I've lost track of the amount of times that he has stood at the door, waiting for this human to let him outside.  He gives me that look, and no matter what I may be doing, I head over to the door and let him out.  He's got me well trained at this point.  Sometimes, he's outside for a while, roaming around the yard, but at other times he's more like that cat in the cartoon.  I let him out, and once he's out there, he turns around, I re-open the door, and he comes back in.  It takes somewhat longer than one second, but not much more.

Toby is smart.  It didn't take him long to work out, that after he comes back in, he may get a treat.  He thinks that he's smarter than the house sitter, and perhaps he is.  But that is all going to change now, because I came across this book today.

Yes Toby, just when you finally thought that you had me wrapped around your paws, I've now got the inside info about your breed.  You don't stand a chance now. There is even a chapter on treats, so I've got the upper hand for sure.

A couple of years ago, I was taking care of a dog named Puka.  He had the habit of sitting on the couch, and staring out the front window.  Any movement at all outside, and Puka was barking up a storm. I'd go over to him, give him a treat, and he would be quiet for a while, but pretty soon the barking would begin again.  He had worked out, that if he barked, he would now get another treat.  Once I had figured that out, the treat frequency slowed down, and so did the barking.  Puka had another habit of grabbing anything that might be left unattended on a table or counter top.  The next thing you know, I would be chasing him around the backyard, with my reading glasses in his mouth.  Thankfully, Toby's too short to jump up on a table to grab things, which makes my job much easier.

Both Puka, and Toby have taught me some great lessons, and I am grateful to both of them.  I've still got the better part of two weeks to spend here with Toby, and no doubt, he will have a few more lessons to teach me during that time.

Toby is once again standing at the door, and I know what that means.  It's time to finish this post, head to the door, and let him out once again.  My training continues.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer