At night, when it is time to go to bed, Gizmo dashes into his cage when told to and when the top of the cage is lightly tapped. Then he gets a treat. No more wrestling match with him on getting into the cage.
Tonight, while I was watching the Dog Whisperer and just as I was learning how to teach a dog to heel (go “ssst”, slow down or stop, and insist), I heard Gizmo scratching on his cage. The door was closed.
When I went to him, I opened the door and, with a sigh, he walked inside and lay down.
Later, when I opened the cage door and indicated that perhaps he wanted to go outside to relieve himself before he went to sleep, he just lay there, eyes half shaded and indicated that he was down for the night. He even looked at me for a half second as if to say, “Are you crazy? It’s time for bed.”
He has learned.
Incidentally, if we are away during the day, we close the doors to the rooms where he made “mistakes” in the past (our bedroom, my office, etc.) and allow him to roam free. This has been going on for six days. No accidents.
We feel like putting up a sign, resembling the ones they have in manufacturing plants: DAYS ACCIDENT FREE: 6.
“If dogs talked, one of them would be president by now. Everybody likes dogs.”
-Dean Koontz
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