Fleegle and I are in the yard, practicing his manners. He’s in a sit-stay and I’m standing next to him timing him with a stop watch.

I say, “Look, I know it’s hard for you to wait, but you’re going to have to. That’s what this is about, learning impulse control.”

“I can control my impulses.”

“Then what’s jumping on strangers?”

“That’s called sharing the love. They needed kisses. I was only trying to lick their faces. Would you rather I kissed their–”

“Maybe if it kept your muddy paws off of them.”

Fleegle barely keeps his rump on the ground. You’d think he was polishing the grass the way he squirms. “How much longer?”

I glance at the stop watch in my hand. “You’ve been in a Sit-stay for all of nine seconds.”

“It’s been ten now.”

“We’re shooting for a whole minute.”

“A whole minute?” Fleegle whines. “Can we break for biscuits at thirty?”

Next: Negotiating with Cookies – Bed Warmer

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