Bad Dog Fix-It Plan

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Kyle opened the door and saw Mia, his best friend and next-door neighbor, on the porch.

“Hey, Mia,” Kyle said. “What’s up?”

“I was hoping you and Rex would want to go to the park with me,” Mia said.

“Sure,” Kyle replied. “Come on in while I grab my shoes and coat.”

The two kids made their way to the kitchen, where Rex was lying on the floor. He looked over at Mia and Kyle when they walked in, but he didn’t move.

“What’s wrong with Rex?” Mia asked. “He looks depressed.”

“I think he knows he’s in trouble,” Kyle explained. “He went a little nuts at the clinic.”

“What did he do?” Mia asked.

Kyle sat down to pull on his shoes and told Mia what happened. “If Rex messes up again, he’ll be banned from the clinic for good,” he finished. “My mom was really mad.”

“Maybe Rex just wasn’t in the mood to listen,” Mia suggested.

Kyle sighed. Rex wasn’t in the mood to listen a lot of the time. Especially if he was busy chasing squirrels. Or eating. Or smelling something. Or napping. “You need to remind him that you’re the boss,” Mia said.

Kyle nodded. “You’re right,” he said. “He already knows all the obedience commands.”

“But he only does them when he feels like it,” Mia pointed out. “He has to do them when you say so.”

“All the time,” Kyle agreed. “Even if a squirrel kicks him in the nose!”

Mia giggled. “Or it rains dog treats.”

“Or he smells pizza,” Kyle said. “When I say come, I mean it!”

Rex’s ear twitched when he heard the command, but he didn’t sit up to obey.

Mia sighed. “You’ve got a lot of work to do,” she said.

“No kidding,” Kyle said. “So let’s get started.”

Kyle grabbed Rex’s leash, and the three of them headed to the dog park. He usually let Rex relax and check out all the doggy-delicious smells along the way, but today, he made the yellow Lab heel and stay by his side.

Rex wasn’t happy about it. He kept trying to veer off the sidewalk to sniff the trees. Every time Rex pulled on his leash, Kyle made him stop and sit for a minute. After the fourth stop, Rex finally gave in and walked nicely.

The dog park was extra crowded by the time they made it there. There were dogs catching Frisbees, digging in the sand, and rolling on the grass. Two black Labs dashed through tunnels and leapt over jumps on the agility course. A few tired dogs napped under benches while their owners read or talked on cell phones.

“Wow!” Mia exclaimed when they entered the fenced playground for dogs. “There must be fifty dogs here today!”

“Maybe more,” Kyle said as he looked around. “I’ve never seen it this crowded before.”

“Are you sure this is the best place to practice?” Mia asked.

“It’s perfect!” Kyle said. He stopped, and Rex sat down next to him.

“But there’s so much going on here,” Mia said.

“That’s why it’s perfect,” Kyle said. “I have to teach Rex to ignore the other stuff and just listen to me.”

Just then, a man with a German shepherd ran by. Rex whined, wiggled, and started to stand up. He wanted to run, too.

“Sit!” Kyle ordered.

Rex whined again, but he stayed sitting.

“Good boy,” Kyle said. He pulled a treat out of his pocket and fed it to Rex. “Okay, let’s get started.”

Kyle tugged lightly on Rex’s leash to get the dog’s attention. Then he dropped the leash and held his hand in front of Rex’s face. “Stay!”

Kyle walked a few feet away, then stopped and turned around to face Rex. The dog was still sitting where Kyle had left him. But when he saw Kyle looking at him, Rex stood up again.

“Stay!” Kyle called. He held his hand out toward the yellow Lab. Rex quickly stopped moving and stood where he was while Kyle walked over.

“Sit,” Kyle said as he picked up the leash again. Rex sat, and Mia applauded.

“That was great!” a boy’s voice said.

Kyle glanced over and saw Drew Martin sitting on a nearby bench. A white spaniel with big black spots sat on the ground near his feet. Drew went to their school, but he was in a different fourth-grade class, so Kyle didn’t know him very well.

Mia walked over to pet Drew’s dog. “What’s his name?” she asked.

“Lucky,” Drew said. He nodded toward Rex. “Can he do any other tricks?”

“Sure,” Kyle replied. He had Rex lie down, stay, and shake. Rex must have been in the mood to listen. He didn’t make any mistakes.

Feeling more confident, Kyle tossed a stick a few feet away. “Leave it!” he told Rex before the dog could run after it.

Rex stared at the stick. He whined softly, but he didn’t move to get it.

“Good boy!” Kyle said proudly. He knew how hard it was for Rex to resist running after the stick. He was lucky to have such a well-behaved dog.

Suddenly, Drew’s dog sprang to his feet, rushed forward, and grabbed the stick. Rex immediately barked and chased after Lucky. That was Rex’s stick!

“Lucky!” Drew shouted. “Put that down!”

But Lucky didn’t listen. He took off running, holding the stick proudly in his mouth. Rex chased him, and the two dogs ran in circles around the park. Every time the boys and Mia tried to catch them, they raced away again.

“Rex!” Kyle called to his dog. “Come back here! Now!”

But Rex seemed to be done listening for the day. He ignored Kyle and kept chasing after Lucky.

Mia sighed. “Rex was doing so well!” she said, shaking her head.

“It’s my fault,” Drew said. “I was so busy watching you that I forgot to hold onto Lucky’s leash. You’re a good dog trainer, Kyle.”

“Not good enough,” Kyle said. “If Rex doesn’t start listening to me, my mom will never let him back in her clinic.”

“I wish that’s all I had to worry about,” Drew mumbled.

“What do you mean?” Mia asked.

“I’ve been begging for a dog for years,” Drew explained. “My parents finally decided I was old enough to take care of one, so they let me adopt Lucky from the shelter a few months ago.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?” Kyle asked.

“Yeah, except we didn’t count on getting a dog that digs in the trash, chews up shoes, and doesn’t come when he’s called,” Drew explained. He looked upset. “I’ve been trying to train him since we brought him home, but it’s not working.”

“Well, it takes time to train a dog,” Kyle pointed out.

“I know,” Drew said, “but if Lucky doesn’t learn to behave, I’m worried that my parents are going to make me get rid of him.”

“What?” Mia gasped.

Drew nodded unhappily. “That’s what my dad said yesterday,” he told them. “He was really upset. He said that if Lucky doesn’t start to show some improvement by next Saturday, he’s gone.”

Not if we can help it, Kyle thought. “Why don’t you and Lucky meet Rex and me here on Saturday,” he suggested. “I have to work on his training anyway. We can work on Lucky’s at the same time.”

“That would be great!” Drew said, sounding grateful. “I need all the help I can get!”