You Can Lead Mom To The Dog Park…

My parents and I both have dogs, raised from puppy age. My dog Sandy isn’t perfect, but I consider her well-behaved. My parents’ dog Buster is… not. We’re at the dog park together, and Buster doesn’t come when my mom calls him. She lets out an exasperated sigh.

Mom: “I don’t understand why Buster can’t behave well. I mean, you work full-time, and your dog lets you walk her on a leash and doesn’t take food off the table.”

Me: “Well, how often do you take him for walks? I don’t have a fenced-in yard, so I take Sandy out on a leashed walk at least once a day.”

Mom: “Oh, well, we’ve got the fence, so we don’t need to do that.”

Me: “So, you never walk him on a leash, but you’re surprised that he doesn’t do well with it on?”

Mom: “Well, he stays by the table every day and still steals food!”

Me: “Do you give him food from the table?”

Mom: “Only scraps and meat.”

Me: “And you take them off your plate in front of him?”

Mom: “Yes…”

Me: “And you’re surprised that he’ll take food off your plates when he’s hungry?”

Mom: “I just don’t understand why he doesn’t listen to me and doesn’t walk well on a leash.”