Chapter Fifty-One: Let the Dog Think for Himself

Under Zhang Congwen’s direction, Yu Qin took out Big Ear’s favorite snacks and sat in a chair.

“Wave the snacks in front of Big Ear,” Zhang Congwen said.

Yu Qin did as instructed. The French Bulldog immediately rushed forward, trying to snatch the snacks from her hand. Zhang Congwen quickly said, “Pull your hand back, don’t give it to him.”

Yu Qin tried to withdraw her hand, which held the beloved snacks. The French Bulldog leapt up, lunging at her hand. Fortunately, Yu Qin was swift, barely avoiding being bitten.

Zhang Congwen was startled by this as well; he hadn’t anticipated such a reaction from the dog. Ultimately, this behavior stemmed from Yu Qin’s family spoiling the French Bulldog too much, leaving it with no sense of boundaries.

Still, that didn’t absolve him of responsibility. The primary goal of a dog trainer is to ensure the safety of both people and dogs, but his lack of foresight had nearly led to the dog biting its owner—a mistake Zhang Congwen should never have made.

Luckily, Yu Qin withdrew her hand in time and avoided a mishap; otherwise, Zhang Congwen would have been at fault.

Steadying himself, Zhang Congwen said, “Don’t give him the snack yet. Wait until he calms down. When you do give it, praise him.”

Seeing his mistress unwilling to hand over the treat, the French Bulldog grew anxious, pacing back and forth, barking, and occasionally growling threateningly, but Yu Qin stood firm and refused to give in.

Repeated attempts to snatch the treat proved fruitless, prompting the dog to wonder why his mistress wouldn’t give him his favorite snack.

Tilting his head for a moment, the French Bulldog finally quieted, watching his mistress intently.

Yu Qin looked at Zhang Congwen, who nodded. Yu Qin tossed a snack onto the floor, saying, “Good dog.”

After several rewards, the French Bulldog became noticeably calmer, no longer acting out in excitement. Zhang Congwen then instructed Yu Qin to lower her hand with the treat to a height where the dog could almost reach it on its hind legs, but still not to give it easily. If the dog tried to snatch it, Yu Qin should immediately pull her hand back and return it to its original position.

As Yu Qin lowered her hand, the French Bulldog predictably lifted his front legs, eager for the treat. But, learning from earlier, his attempt was gentler this time.

In fact, he wasn’t so much grabbing as simply eager to eat—his movements were careful, no longer risking injury to Yu Qin.

Following Zhang Congwen’s method, Yu Qin withdrew her hand as soon as the dog lifted his paw. After several repetitions, the French Bulldog stopped trying to snatch, remaining still and watching the treat, pondering why his mistress wouldn’t give it to him.

After a moment, he sat down patiently, waiting.

Zhang Congwen nodded, and Yu Qin tossed another treat onto the floor.

When Yu Qin took out yet another snack, the dog again raised his paw, but Yu Qin withdrew her hand. This time, without hesitation, the French Bulldog sat down, waiting for Yu Qin to feed him.

Seeing this progress, Zhang Congwen gave another instruction: Yu Qin should hold the treat in her hand and let Big Ear sniff it, without feeding him directly.

Yu Qin complied. Big Ear sniffed the treat, finally learning to wait, sitting obediently without any attempt to snatch.

Only then did Zhang Congwen allow Yu Qin to feed him.

After completing these steps, Zhang Congwen said, “Now take another treat, let him smell it, then go to the dog bed and wait. Once Big Ear enters the bed, immediately reward him.”

Yu Qin followed instructions, heading to the dog bed with the treat. Tempted by the snack, the French Bulldog followed her.

This time, Big Ear sniffed the dog bed and stepped inside. Yu Qin was about to feed him when Big Ear stepped back out.

“Don’t rush,” Zhang Congwen advised. “Wait until all four paws are inside before rewarding him. Just stepping in with two paws doesn’t count.”

Yu Qin nodded and said to the dog, “Big Ear, in.”

Zhang Congwen quickly stopped her. “Don’t say anything or make any unnecessary gestures—let him think for himself.”

Because Yu Qin had spoken, Big Ear misunderstood and sat down in front of her, thinking the old rule still applied: if he sat, his mistress would reward him.

But this time, Yu Qin didn’t feed him, which puzzled Big Ear. He lay on the floor, head raised, looking at his mistress with confusion and pitiful eyes.

Zhang Congwen laughed. “He must be thinking, ‘That trick used to work. Every time I sat, she’d feed me—why isn’t it working now?’”

Yu Qin laughed, too, watching her adorable dog. She didn’t need Zhang Congwen to explain; she could guess what was going through the dog’s mind. Her heart melted with affection, much like a parent looking at their child—no matter what the child does, they are always lovable in their parents’ eyes.

Zhang Congwen continued, “Give him a hint—take a step toward the dog bed.”

Yu Qin took a small step toward the bed.

“Now give a second hint: pretend to throw the treat into the bed,” Zhang Congwen said.

Yu Qin mimed tossing the treat.

Big Ear, who had been lying on the ground, immediately stood up. He looked at the bed, then at his mistress, still confused. He glanced back and forth between the bed and his mistress, still seeing no sign of being fed.

He couldn’t figure out what his mistress wanted. Yu Qin watched her dog, feeling as if he truly was deep in thought, his small head filled with big question marks.

Seeing that two hints hadn’t worked, Zhang Congwen offered a third: “Throw a treat into the bed.”

No sooner had he spoken than Yu Qin eagerly tossed a snack into the bed.

Though Yu Qin had cooperated well with Zhang Congwen’s earlier training, she found it somewhat tedious. Now, with treat-based exercises and the dog’s perpetually confused expression, she was thoroughly entertained. As Zhang Congwen encouraged the dog’s independent thinking, Yu Qin also pondered his training methods.

So when Zhang Congwen gave the instruction, she immediately understood his intention.

No sooner had the treat landed in the bed than the French Bulldog stepped in, happily eating it.

After finishing, he didn’t leave right away, seeming lost in thought. He lingered a moment, and then, to Yu Qin’s surprise, his hind legs entered the bed as well.

He circled twice, then settled in a comfortable position.

Without needing further reminders from Zhang Congwen, Yu Qin rewarded him with another treat.

Then, Zhang Congwen asked her to return to her original spot. If the French Bulldog followed and sat quietly, he should be rewarded with several treats. Then, heading back to the dog bed, if the dog entered on his own, he should again be rewarded.

The results proved Zhang Congwen’s training highly effective. When Yu Qin returned to the dog bed, Big Ear didn’t hesitate at all, diving straight into the bed.

Only then did Zhang Congwen say, “The training is basically done. Now we just have to wait for Xie Caizhe and the others to finish school. You can invite him over to see how Big Ear has done today.”