Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2017 - 11

MILL CREEK STORIES

mastiff/Great Dane mix weighing in at
130 pounds. There's Biscuit, a Belgian
Malinois mix that was found as a stray
in a South Carolina swamp. She's now a
therapy dog and never met a person she
did not completely adore. My best dog
and love is Henry, a Boxer that was hit
by a truck in the Carolinas somewhere,
and I was certain no one else would
adopt him. He's completely deaf, has
just four teeth, and is missing a back leg
but is blissfully unaware of any shortcomings on his part so we've decided
not to inform him. He runs with the
rest of the dogs and flies up and down
the stairs. He is just happiness wrapped
in fur, bless his heart. Then there's my
Great Dane, Mosey. One hundred twenty pounds of stone cold stubborn and
the star of this story.
If you are not familiar with the Great
Dane breed, let me share some truths
about them. They are wonderful, but
they have some peculiarities. They are

devoted to a familiar routine. They see
themselves as management and will try
to influence the rest of the family, dogs,
cats, and humans, to do what they
want. They are strategic thinkers, dangerously brainy. They are tall enough to
see where everything is on your kitchen
counters with just a glance, able to comfortably rest their chin on the counter
edge. They excel at food thievery.
When Mosey arrived in our home,
she was what we trainers call a "counter
surfer." That's a dog that steals anything
edible off the kitchen counters. She was
lightning fast, and I had reached my
limit when the third loaf of bread went
missing. So, I started watching her like
a hawk, correcting her as soon as her
massive head swung near the counter's
edge. She looked so disappointed but
she stopped, or so I thought.
Turns out, she simply decided not to
counter surf while I was in the kitchen.
She was still raiding the fruit bowl and

the bread box, just doing so clandestinely. Such a clever, clever girl. In response,
I had to up my game. I lined the counter's edge with noise makers that would
crash to the floor if disturbed. That way,
there was an unpleasant consequence
even if I were not in the room.
It worked beautifully. I was so pleased
with myself for outsmarting Mosey. After all, I am a professional dog trainer.
Yes siree, that problem was fixed. You've
got to come up with an effective solution to canine behavior issues and I had
nailed it. Perhaps I had allowed myself
to get a little too cocky about how well
my plan had worked. What's that old
saying? Pride goeth before a fall?
Mosey never stole food from the
kitchen counters again. Instead, she
stood up on her hind legs, nosed open
the upper cabinet doors and helped herself to my secret stash of oatmeal cream
pies whenever she felt like it. Clever,
clever girl. 

THE FOLK SCHOOL
CHANGES YOU.

Engaging hands and hearts since 1925. Come enjoy making crafts and
good friends on 300 natural, scenic acres in western North Carolina.

JOHN C. CAMPBELL FOLK SCHOOL
folkschool.org
BRASSTOWN

1-800-FOLK-SCH
NORTH CAROLINA

July/August 2017 11
http://www.folkschool.org
Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2017

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