While on holiday I’d been re-instated as the official dog handler at home, a position I hadn’t held in a while. All it required was cooking for Leo(our German Shepherd), giving him his food at the appropriate time and maybe, if I felt up to it, take him for a walk.
“Piece of cake!” I found myself thinking. But I’d forgotten about putting Leo back in his kennel in the morning, something he hated with all his doggy heart. He’d rather even have a bath, that’s how much he hated going back into his kennel. So I thought I’d be crafty and tempt him with a bowl of milk. It worked the first day; Leo followed me all the way to his house and went straight for the milk I placed in the middle of the floor. He was too busy lapping it up to notice when I locked the door behind him.
With such a successful first day, I was sure the same would play out the next day. I don’t think I’ve ever been so wrong about something before like I was then.
I started out as usual with the bowl of milk. Leo had realized by then that I was replacing the person who usually put him in and so he very cleverly sat at a distance and watched me walk to his kennel and put the milk inside. When I came closer, he immediately shot off like a rocket and kept his distance. I tried using all the commands he’d been ‘trained’ to respond to but to no avail. He did not ‘come’ when I told him to, neither did he ‘sit’ when I said he should. Instead, he gave me an amused look, tongue lolling out of his mouth, and ran off to chase the crows.
Frustrated, I decided to try one last thing and get out his leash so that he would come to me. It worked! Like the obedient dog that Leo sometimes is, he came running to me and sat as still as he could while I put him on his leash. Now, the plan was to leash him and force him into his kennel, but Leo had something else in mind. Once he was sure he was on his leash, off he ran in the direction of the gate. When I didn’t follow, he came back to where I was standing and ran off again towards the gate. He wanted to go for a walk! His mind had registered ‘walk’ the moment he saw ‘leash’ and there was nothing else that he would do until he had his walk.
By that point in time, I was at the end of my wits, so I gave up and let Leo stay out that day and enjoy his freedom. I blame the guy who usually handles Leo…he didn’t stick to the initial obedience training. Well, it's obviously too late now, the damage is done. And I've learnt you truly can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
Even if the dog’s just 4 years old.
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