Training Camp

So just what’s involved in training my dog in a few of the basics?  Each night at bedtime I’ve been reading a few pages the Monks of New Skete book  — a gift from my friends Joe and Kathleen – but I’m not reading enough fast enough and besides: reading isn’t going to help Willie learn what he needs to be taught.

Ideally, I’d like to train Willie myself but need to come up with some kind of protocol; I need to carve out a block of time to work with him each day.  But work is starting to pick up and Richard and I will likely need to be out of town a few times next month, each for a minimum of a week.  Will we be able to bring Willie with us on work trips?  Will he stay home with a house-sitter?  Will he stay with my sister at her apartment in New York City?  I don’t yet know the solution, but Willie needs this training, regardless.

What, exactly, am I committing to?  Should I try to hire someone to work with me?  Are there classes we should attend together?  The owner of our local feed and pet supply store supplies the name and phone number of a trainer she recommends, and the owner of our local dog-friendly B&B supplies another; I’m not sure why I’m hesitant to phone either person, but then my friend Ann, the retired vet, gives me some advice.  For starters, she says, I should always have tiny treats in my pocket and use them to reward Willie each time he returns to me when I command him to come.  “Just break off the smallest little piece of cooked chicken or dog biscuit and feed it to him,” Ann says.  “In no time you’ll have a trained, obedient little dog.”