Training, training, training

I was coming home from doing some shopping yesterday and as I drove in my complex there was a brindle pit bull running around the parking area.

The dog darted in front of my car several times as I slowly tried to drive to my parking spot.

Then a guy appeared, waving at me as if to say "Oops, runaway dog alert."

I parked and got out of my car and the guy and the dog were still doing that "dance" that dogs and their owners do when the dogs don't want to be "caught."

I tried to get the dog's attention but it was having TOO much fun having everyone chase after him. Apollo was the dog's name, so the guy kept calling him.

I figured we could try and get the pooch to come into my patio area and capture it, but the dog came close to me and I was able to grab its collar.

The 1-1/2-year-old dog was having such a good time, making his owner chase him around the parking lot.

That took me back.

Kate was a real pisser in the early days. We would go to the dog park and she would make me chase her, until, eventually, she would let me catch her.

I consulted our trainer, who suggested I either keep a leash attached to her (so I could step on the leash and get her that way; not always a good idea in a crowded dog park) or just "walk away."

The "walk away" strategy was supposed to work this way: I walk away from Kate, who will suddenly realize she is being abandoned and will pine to be taken by me back to our home.

That was the way it was supposed to work.

In reality, Kate wouldn't come to me when I wanted to leave the dog park and started playing "catch me if you can." After several embarrassing minutes, I walked away from the park.

I kept looking back and she was having a wonderful time playing with the other dogs. I was completely out of her sight and, I was told, she never gave any indication that she missed me.

Eventually, I came back to the dog park. Eventually, one of the other dog owners grabbed her collar.

It was a long walk home.

Eventually, Kate began responding to the "come" command.

It took a lot of work and a lot of practice, but we learned the command — eventually.