To start off my Sunday morning, I took Toby for a brisk walk around the ranch house park before I even cracked open my first can of Zevia Cola.

I did my best to wear out Toby’s little brain during our walk by having him sit, stay, and do little tricks for treats when there were no other dogs around. He did everything I asked him to do eagerly, knowing I'd give him a piece of chicken each time he obeyed. 

The one time we encountered another dog on our walk, I made Toby sit and lay down quietly in the grass while the other dog (an old black lab with a grey snout) plodded by. Toby really wanted to scream at the other dog, but behaved anyway knowing I’d give him a chunk of chicken if he stayed quiet. As soon as the black lab and his owner were out of sight, I gave Toby a huge chunk of boiled chicken and continued on our way. 

I worked with Toby until I figured he was sufficiently worn out enough to behave at home while I went to the Cherry Creek Arts Festival with my grandparents. I didn’t plan to be gone all day, but I still wanted to give Toby some attention before I left the house so he (hopefully) wouldn’t get upset and chew something up while I was gone.