Dr. Warren's Suggestion

The vet came in, introducing himself to me, as well as to Hardy. “I’m Doctor Warren,” he said wrapping his hands around my dog’s midsection.

“Hello, Dr. Warren,” I responded. “My dog seems nervous. I’ve never seen him act this way.”

“I see it all the time,” he replied as he handed Hardy a treat. “Nothing to worry about.”

Hardy wasn’t interested in the treat. He turned his muzzle away. Surprising, I thought, Hardy’s behavior was off. He was usually quite friendly upon meeting a new person, especially of the male persuasion. Not this time. He was, in fact, acting lethargic and withdrawn. I shook my head in disbelief.

Then I remembered my purpose. I wanted to learn as much as possible about Hardy as I could. As Hardy stiffened on the examining table, I began to ask questions. “Can you make a guess about his age?”

“I’m thinking he’s a little under a year, approximately ten months of age,” he answered. His hands massaged Hardy’s body as he spoke. “He’s been well taken care of, except for the stray pick up. He seems healthy, he has no physical abnormalities, and he has the classic Schnauzer puppy surgeries, plus all his shots. I believe he is purebred.”

Hearing Dr. Warren’s assessment of Hardy, made me feel like a proud parent learning their child was gifted, “He’s really smart too.”

“My main concern is that he is prone to running away. As you’ve already learned, running away can be dangerous. I suggest you take him to obedience classes. There are boundary controls you may also want to put into place surrounding your property. I’m assuming you have good fencing?”

I nodded.

“You may want to put in invisible fencing too. Just as a precaution. It’s quite humane, if the dog is introduced to the fence properly. You need to stop him from running into traffic.” Dr. Warren picked up Hardy’s left hind leg, and examined the scraped part. “You were lucky this time.”

As Hardy and I left the building, I can’t remember ever seeing him so jubilant. I praised him as he jumped into the car. I pulled the car out of my parking space, and decided to head to the nearest pet store. I needed to discover exactly what Dr. Warren meant by an invisible fence. I also wanted to get a recommendation about a dog obedience class. I hit pay dirt (no pun intended) in the front isle at the largest local pet store in our area, where I learned invisible fencing is basically burying an electronic radio controlled wire around the perimeter of the property for the purpose of providing an electronic shock to a corresponding collar when the pet as is crosses over the wire. The picture on the cover of the invisible fencing package displayed two well behaved dogs peacefully watching a foursome of golfers play through on a golf course. It turned out the fencing was tremendously expensive!

Not wanting to go through another neighborhood chase, I stood in the isle mulling over the cost versus benefits when one of the employees came up to me and discussed how dog obedience classes might be a better alternative. They cost less than the invisible fencing, and not wanting to be the reason my favorite pet got a shock to the neck, I listened the sales pitch without hesitation.

“The next series of classes begin this Saturday morning,” the salesman stated, showing me a sign up sheet with several names on it, and pointing to the price at the top of the paper.

“Convenient,” I replied. “The price is reasonable too.”

“It’s almost full. So you should sign up soon,” he noted.

“It’s lot cheaper than that fence,” I added. “Okay. I’ll give it a try.”

The salesman put the paper on a clipboard, and I began filling out our contact information.  In the end, I decided to sign up Hardy and my son, Nate, for the classes. I figured that Nate would want to learn how to train his dog, and I would be there to learn by observation and provide support. I concluded that if the obedience classes didn’t get Hardy in line, I would try the electronic fence. I paid for the classes, and promised to return with Nate and Hardy on Saturday morning, complete with a 6 foot leash and some small tasty treats.