I am working on my computer and Chico is lying quietly in the unfenced front yard, even when cars go by.

For some dogs, many, maybe most, dogs, this would be no big deal. For me and Chico, this is huge. Two summers ago, he had no idea that he didn’t have to protect us from cars and trucks on the road.

He had to learn where ‘home’ is and how rewarding it is to stay within the boundaries of the ‘home’ zone. He had to learn to associate vehicles with treats so that if he was tempted to bark at one, he had the alternative behavior of coming to me for a treat.

And, genius boy that he is, he did those things.