The Education of Greyhound Phoebe, Chapter the Second

in which Phoebe learns ‘leave it’ and questions the canigogical value of ‘sit’

After a week of doing ‘watch me’ homework, Phoebe went back to class to demonstrate her newfound talent and fill her pointy little head with more knowledge. The lessons for this week were ‘leave it’ and ‘sit.’

The teacher taught ‘leave it’ by placing treats on the floor near the dogs and then shooing them away when they went for the treats. The reward for not eating the treats was a treat from her hand. She worked with each dog individually while all the pupils looked on. Each dog grasped the lesson more quickly than the previous one, but Phoebe – ever the observer – picked it up the quickest, earning accolades and extra treats. Next we went for a walk so as to apply our newfound knowledge. Phoebe was quite good at ignoring whatever she was asked to ignore.

After the walk came ‘sit,’ a command that greys sometimes have trouble with since their racetrack training often teaches them not to sit. The teacher knew Phoebe would resist it so she said she’d work with Phoebe last in the hopes that she would get it by watching the others. Most of the others grasped it very quickly. Phoebe watched, knowing that treats were being given out, but unsure of what to do. Finally while the teacher was working with another pup, Phoebe sat. It was the first time I’d ever seen that dog sit. The teacher was thrilled and gave Phoebe a bevy of treats. Despite the treats, though, Phoebe saw no relevance for ‘sit’ in her life and suggested that she would never need to know ‘sit’ in the real world, so just as her owner once saw no relevance or need to know algebra, she declined to sit a second time.

The last ten minutes were devoted to recess. The other dogs played while Phoebe went around and introduced herself to the humans who are all very intrigued by the inherently gregarious and gentle nature of greyhounds. I was asked by one woman if greyhounds like to play, and I told her that they love to play, but they often only know one game: catch me if you can.

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Visit Phoebe’s friends at the Carnival of the Dogs!

[saveagrey]

James Brush

James Brush is a teacher and writer who lives in Austin, TX. He tries to get outside as much as possible.

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