Angus and Sadie (6 page)

A few days later, when the dogs felt normal and good again, and Sadie had gotten so used to having four legs the same that she almost forgot she had ever had a cast on one, training began. After breakfast, before the day's work, Mister and Missus took the dogs out to the grassy lawn in front of the barn. They had both read the training book, so they knew both masters had to train both dogs.

“Only a few minutes at first,” Mister reminded Missus.

“I read the book, too,” she reminded him.

“I'll go first, then you,” he told her.

“We start with Sit,” she told him.

Mister removed Angus's red collar and replaced it with the choke chain collar. Then he clipped on a leash.

Missus and Sadie sat together on the grass, and watched.

Angus looked right at Mister, and waited.

“Angus, Sit!” Mister said.

What?

“Sit!” Mister said again.

Angus stared right at Mister, waiting to understand.

Mister pulled up hard on the leash.

What?
The chain closed tight around Angus's throat.
What? What!
Angus stuck his muzzle up into the air, trying to loosen the collar, and that lifted his whole head up, which lifted his shoulders up. All that lifting made his haunches go lower and lower, until he had his rear end down on the ground with his nose still pointing high into the air. “Good dog,” Mister said, and then he lowered the leash and the collar was comfortable again.

“Good dog,” Mister said again. He bent over and rubbed Angus on the shoulder. “Good dog, good boy.”

Angus stood up and shook himself; he was good, everything was all right. He licked Mister's hand.

Mister stood up, too, but instead of walking off to get to work, he said, “Angus, Sit!”

What? Again? But—

Before Angus could even start to wonder, Mister jerked up on the leash and the chain tightened. Immediately, without even thinking, Angus lifted his nose and lowered his rear. Then Mister bent down and praised him again. “Good, good dog. Good boy.” He scratched Angus behind the ears. “What a good dog.”

This time Angus didn't lick Mister's hand. This time he stood up a little more slowly, and wagged his tail a little cautiously, because he wasn't sure what would happen next, although he thought he might be able to guess. And he was right.

“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?