“Angus, Sit!” Mister said.
Before Mister could pull up on the leash, before the choke chain collar could tighten around his neck, Angus put his rear on the ground. “All right!” Mister said, and he sounded excited. He crouched down in front of Angus, and pulled gently on his ears in the way Angus liked best. “Did you see how quickly he caught on?”
“I saw,” Missus said. “But I have to say, I’m not sure Sadie was paying attention.”
“Border collies are good learners,” Mister said. “Although she probably won’t get it as quickly.” He stood up then. Angus stood up, too, and waited in front of him, watching his face.
Mister took a couple of steps backward, still holding onto the leash, then said, “Angus, Sit!”
Suddenly, Angus really understood. He understood and he obeyed. He sat.
Mister was very excited. “What a good dog. What a smart dog. You are really something, Angus.” He stroked and patted Angus, rubbing with both hands up and down the fur on Angus’s shoulders. “You really are something.”
They did Sit! two more times, and then Mister said, “That’ll do!” Mister took the choke chain collar from around Angus’s neck, and put the red collar back on. When his collar was back on and he had been praised and patted again, Angus barked for the excitement of it all.
Sadie barked, too, Good boy! as excited as Angus was. While Sadie barked, Angus ran around in a big circle, circling Mister and Missus and Sadie. I’m smart! I’m good!
Sadie got up to run around behind him. Because she was still getting used to not having a cast, Sadie stumbled—Oops!—and fell. She scrambled right up—I slipped!—and went back to running behind Angus. Me, too! Smart and good, me, too!
When she came close to Mister, his big hands reached out and caught her by the shoulders.
What? Oh! Hello! Hello!
“Your turn, Sadie,” Mister said. He took off her green collar and slipped the choke chain over her head.
Me, too! Just like Angus!
Mister clipped the leash to the choke chain collar. Sadie stood, watching his face while her tail wagged in excitement.
“Sadie, Sit!” Mister said.
Sadie stood and watched and waited.
“Sadie, Sit!” he said again, and at the same time his hand jerked into the air, pulling up hard on the leash.
Gaggh! The collar was choking her! She backed away from it, trying to get away, but it just choked her tighter. No! No!
Mister said something, but Sadie couldn’t hear him. She tried to howl, but the collar was too tight to let the howl out. She had to get away! Missus said something, but Sadie couldn’t hear that either. Help! She didn’t even hear what Angus was saying, because all she could think about was fighting free of that collar.
Then Mister’s hand came down lower, and she could breathe again.
“Take it easy, girl. Calm down. It’s okay, everything’s okay,” he said. He stroked her, his hand running over her head, two strokes, three, four. “Calm down, easy now.” He pulled gently on her ears. “It’s only training,” he said, in a gentle voice.
It was terrible! Sadie said.
Just do what he tells you, Angus advised her.
I couldn’t breathe!
It’s training. When you do what he tells you the collar doesn’t choke.
You don’t understand. I couldn’t breathe.
He wouldn’t hurt us.
It did hurt!
“Better now?” Mister asked. “Ready to try again? This will be much easier.”
Sadie had her doubts about that. Maybe it will be different, she hoped, now that Mister understood how much that collar had choked her.
But when Mister stood up and said, “Sadie, Sit!” and she didn’t understand, his hand pulled up on the leash again and the collar choked her again, just like the first time. No! Help! Stop! When Sadie pulled harder and harder on the collar, backing away to get her head free, Mister lifted his hand higher and higher, until Sadie’s paws were barely touching the ground. Stop! No! Help! Help! Help!
Mister’s hand came down lower, and the collar loosened, and Sadie just stood there, breathing as fast as she could.
“All right,” Mister said. “It’s all right, Sadie.”
“She’s terrified,” Missus said.
“I can see that,” Mister said. “Sadie, that’ll do!” he said, and took off the choke chain collar. As he buckled her own collar back around her neck he said, “We’re going to have to go slowly with you, I can see that. But don’t worry, you’ll get it eventually.”
I already got it, Angus said.
I don’t want to get it, Sadie told him. She ran to Missus, climbed up into her lap, and buried her nose under Missus’s arm.
“It’s all right, Sadie,” Missus said, stroking her back. “It’s not as bad as it seems now. We wouldn’t do anything bad to you, you know that.”
It was bad.
“Your turn now,” Mister said.
Missus put the collar on Angus, and told him, “Sit! Angus.” Angus didn’t know what she wanted, so he waited patiently for further instructions. “Angus, Sit!” she said again, and he waited some more. “Angus, Sit!” she said, and raised her arm, pulling on the choke chain collar.
Oh. Angus remembered now. Is this what you want?
“Good dog,” Missus said, crouching down and petting him.
I know.
She asked Angus to sit twice more, and the first time he remembered perfectly, even if he didn’t the second time. Then Missus put the choke chain collar on Sadie. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I won’t pull hard.”
Sadie tried not to worry.
“She’s trembling,” Missus said.
“Just try,” Mister said.
“Sadie, Sit!” said Missus, and then she said it again, “Sadie, Sit!”
Sadie stood and shook and watched. She didn’t think Missus would do anything terrible, but she wasn’t sure.
“Sadie, Sit!” This time, Missus raised her arm. Sadie backed away and Missus lowered her arm. “It won’t work. Isn’t there any other way?” she asked. “I’m going to look at that chapter again. Sadie can’t be the only dog ever to be spooked by a choke chain collar.”
“If you want, go ahead and see,” Mister said. “Right now, there’s fertilizing to be done, isn’t there, Angus?”
So while Angus and Mister left to do their work, Missus and Sadie went inside to do theirs, and everything was back to normal. Everything was fine.
After lunch, however, everything became not fine again, and it was worse because Sadie knew ahead of time how bad it was going to be. After lunch, after Angus had his training and was a good and clever dog again (once he remembered how to Sit!), Mister put the choke chain collar on Sadie. As soon as he clipped the leash to it, Sadie started to pull back to get away, until finally she lay flat on the ground, her head on her front paws. Her whole body shook. “For heaven’s sake,” Mister said, in a heavy loud voice. “Sadie—” But he didn’t say Sit! He didn’t say anything at all because he was busy not being angry. The book said never get angry, because having an angry trainer doesn’t help a dog to learn. After a minute, Mister leaned down to loosen the collar around Sadie’s neck and pat her on the head.
Sadie didn’t move. She knew that as soon as she moved, the collar would choke her again.
“I don’t know,” Mister said, but he didn’t say what he didn’t know.
Sadie just stayed there flat on the ground, with her legs gathered up under her and her nose between her front paws. She kept her eyes closed. If her eyes stayed closed, she couldn’t see Mister or the leash, and if she couldn’t see them, it was the same as if they weren’t there. Except for the choke chain collar, of course; she could still feel the weight of the choke chain collar, and it was the choke chain collar that made all the trouble.
Then Mister took the collar off and said, in not so heavy a voice, “That’ll do! We’ll try later. It won’t be so bad once you get used to it,
Sadie.”
Later. Sadie agreed about that. She was happy now, with her own collar on and Mister stroking her head. She licked his hand. Later. She wasn’t sure when later meant, but it wasn’t now.
What is wrong with you? Angus asked her.
Nothing anymore. Why? Is something wrong with you? But Sadie knew there was never anything wrong with Angus. When is later, do you know?
Later turned out to be before they went inside for supper. Once again, Angus had forgotten how to Sit!, but he remembered when Mister reminded him, and he forgot and remembered again when Missus took her turn to train him. When Angus was finished, Mister said, “In a couple of days I’m going to try him on a longer lead. I bet it won’t be long before there’s no need for a choke chain collar at all.” Mister’s voice sounded happy. Sadie was happy, too, until Mister said, “Your turn now, Sadie,” and held out the collar.
Sadie knew about that collar, and she didn’t wait one minute. She took off. She ran across the grass and up the hillside, as fast as she could. She heard Angus barking. Where are you going? Mister ran after her, but he couldn’t catch her, now that she didn’t have her cast on. Without the cast, Sadie ran faster than any of them, except Angus.
She didn’t go very far before Missus said, “Probably you shouldn’t chase her.”
Mister stopped running. “Then how do I catch her?”
As they were talking, Sadie stopped to see what would happen next. She stopped and watched, but she kept her distance.
“She’s frightened of the collar,” Missus said.
“I know that. But she needs it for training. Angus isn’t frightened.”
“Angus isn’t Sadie.” Missus got up. “Let me try something.” She walked toward Sadie. “It’s okay, Sadie,” she said, coming closer, holding out her hand. “Come here,” she said. Sadie ran up to her, and Missus bent over to stroke her on the head and down her neck, and to pull gently on her ear.
Good, nice.
Then Missus ran her hand all the way down Sadie’s back and pushed down on her rear, saying, “Sadie, Sit!” in a clear, plain voice. She pushed down until Sadie sat on the ground, watching Missus carefully to see what she wanted, because that voice was one that wanted Sadie to pay attention, and to do something. “Good dog,” Missus said.
Yes, me, too. Good dog.
Missus walked away a couple of steps, and Sadie came along, too. Then Missus stopped and bent over to push down again, and to say in her plain voice, “Sadie, Sit!” When Sadie sat again, Missus patted her again and said, “Clever dog, very good, that’s it exactly.”
Clever me. Sadie liked being good and clever.
Again Missus moved and Sadie followed and Missus stopped. But this time Missus didn’t bend over to pet or to push, she just said, “Sadie, Sit!” Sadie waited, watching, and in no time, Missus leaned over with her hand out to start pushing as she said, “Sit!”
Oh, Sit. Sadie sat. Easy. Sadie hoped she had figured out what it was Missus wanted her to do.
“Good girl,” Missus said. “That’ll do!” she said, and walked back to join Mister with Sadie running around her feet in circles. “See?”
“Yes, but will she remember?”
“Maybe not right away, but neither does Angus. It’s repetition that helps them learn. It’s practice, not the collar. How would you feel about not using the choke chain collar at all? The book said we should be consistent.”
“Probably, Angus doesn’t need it.”
“I don’t like the idea of choking a dog to get her to obey,” Missus admitted.
“When you put it that way, I don’t either,” Mister said. “Anyway, they’re border collies, they’re smart, they can learn without a choke chain collar.”
I’m good, I can Sit! too, Sadie said to Angus.
I’m not afraid of the collar, he told her.
I’m not either, I just hate it.
No, you’re afraid, Angus told her.
Sadie wasn’t as sure about that as he was.
They worked on Sit! for days and days, practicing until both of the dogs knew what Sit! meant all of the time, on or off a leash, spoken by Mister or by Missus. They trained and trained, every day, as often as they ate. They had a routine, and at the end Mister or Missus said the words that meant the training was over, That’ll do!
One evening, after Missus said, “That’ll do!” Mister tried something new. He picked up something round and flat and threw it into the air, away from the garden and the house, out into the long grass. Missus and Sadie stood together and watched him. Angus ran up to Mister, to find out what was going on.
“Well, Angus?” Mister asked.
Angus looked at him carefully, trying to figure out how to obey.
“I thought you’d use a ball,” Missus said. “I brought a tennis ball.”
“Frisbees are better,” Mister said. “The book said. Let’s try again.”
He walked over to pick up the Frisbee, and Angus went with him. Sadie and Missus stayed where they were.
Mister put the Frisbee down in front of Angus’s nose, and Angus smelled a nonsmell and also the smells of Mister’s hands and the grass. He sniffed the Frisbee and looked up at Mister. What’s this? What’s next? I’m ready! Mister tossed the Frisbee into the air, back toward Missus, and Angus, without any hesitation—He couldn’t wait! Now he’d smelled the Frisbee! He wanted to get it!—he ran after it. He chased after it, and he found it! He picked it up in his mouth, because he’d caught it now. Then he took it back to Mister, so Mister could throw it again and he could find it again, and catch it.
“I knew you’d like this,” Mister said.
Fun! This game was much better than Sit! Mister threw the Frisbee, and Angus ran after it. He brought it back and Mister threw it again. Angus ran after it and caught it again. Mister threw and threw, and Angus ran and caught. Twice, he caught the Frisbee before it reached the ground, and Mister laughed. “You’re a natural, Angus. It’s too bad you’re not human, you’d be a terrific outfielder.”
Angus didn’t know what that was, but he agreed. Yes! Outfielder! Throw it again!
There was something about it—When the Frisbee flew out into the air, Angus absolutely had to chase it down and bring it back so that Mister could throw it into the air again. Angus ran fast, and faster. He couldn’t stop himself and he didn’t want to. This was better than anything.
“How about you, Sadie? Don’t you want a turn?” Missus said, but Sadie was happy right where she was, next to Missus. She wagged her tail, thumping it softly on the ground.
Missus took a small ball out of her jacket pocket. “Here, try this.” She threw the ball away into the grass. It fell down and stopped still. Sadie looked at Missus. “Fetch!” Missus said.
Fetch?
Missus got up and walked over to where the ball lay in the grass. Sadie went with her, to keep her company. Mister had stopped to watch, but Angus didn’t want to stop. I’m here! he barked, but Mister wasn’t paying attention. Again! Angus barked.
Missus wanted Sadie to smell the ball, but what did Sadie care how that ball smelled? She walked away, around to the other side of Missus. Then Missus picked up the ball and tossed it back toward the place where she and Sadie had just been sitting. Sadie watched the ball and then she turned to look at Missus. There was something here she didn’t understand, and she stared at Missus, waiting for an explanation. But Missus just stared back at her. Then she waved her hand at the ball. “Go get it, girl.”
Sadie waited.
I’m right here! I’m ready! Angus stared at Mister, trying to make him understand. But Mister was busy watching Missus and Sadie.
Missus walked back to where the ball was. Sadie walked with her. Missus dropped the ball right in front of Sadie, then kicked it gently with her foot. Sadie watched the ball roll through the grass, until it slowly, slowly stopped. She looked up at Missus.
Mister didn’t throw the Frisbee again. Instead, he came over to Missus and Sadie. Angus came right be
hind him, keeping close to the Frisbee.
“I wonder what’s wrong with her,” Mister said.
“Didn’t the book say that some dogs just don’t have any instinct to fetch?” Missus asked him. “Like there are some people who don’t like to play cards?”
Me! Me! Angus reminded them. He nudged at the Frisbee in Mister’s hand, to remind him of what he was supposed to do.
“I didn’t think that would happen with a border collie,” Mister said. He kicked the ball with his foot.
All right!
As soon as the ball moved, Angus was moving after it. With one long jump he was on top of it, and had it in his mouth. He brought it back to Mister and dropped it. Again!
But when Mister kicked the ball again, he held onto Angus’s collar so Angus couldn’t go get it. “Go, Sadie!” Mister said.
You do it, Angus said to Sadie.
Do what?
Catch it and bring it back so he can throw it again.
Why?
Because you want to.
But I don’t want to.
“I guess you can’t predict for sure what will happen with a border collie,” Missus said, and she was laughing. “I guess they’re as different from one another as everybody else is.”
“Looks like it,” Mister agreed.
What’s wrong with you?
Is something wrong with me? Where?
4
How Angus knows best and everyone is weird
Although Angus and Sadie slept in the barn, they had their meals on the porch, beside the kitchen door. The water bowls were kept there, too. The other animals were fed once a day, but Angus and Sadie were fed in the morning, at midday, and again in the evening, just like Mister and Missus.
They were fed three times a day, and they had training three times a day. That was their routine. After a couple of weeks, Sit! was simple, but then Mister added something new, Stay! You had to remember to Stay!, even if you wanted to move. Stay! was harder than Sit! They were also learning Come!, which was easy at the end of a Stay!, but not easy when you were digging a hole beside the cow pen or heading off for a drink from the stream.