Riley went to training last night, and since no other dogs showed up, we had private lessons.

Since he already knows his basic commands, Miss Marilyn taught him “shake,” “high-five” and “wave”. In the first 15 minutes.

At first he was lazy. When she gave him a basic command he just went through his entire repoertoire.

“No,” she said, “think! You’re not thinking, you’re just doing! Use your brain!”

It took him a few minutes to get focused but when he used his brain, he learned instantly. And when he did something exceptionally good, he’d come over to me for congratulations. Oh so cute!

We then took a walk that had many distractions. He barks like crazy at other dogs, but we had a can of compressed citronella that both made a hissing noise and smelled. We didn’t aim it AT him, just set it off when he barked or went to nip at someone’s heels. Man, he straightend up in a hurry.

Outside Starbucks, a couple had two misshapen, obese and drooly bulldogs. Now, the bulldog thing eludes me. It just does. And they were just the kind of dogs R likes to bark at.

But no. He was a strack troop! At least as long as the threat of the hissing can lurked.

Later, at home, we went through his new tricks, and he was great! Very cute and funny.

Here’s what his trainer kept saying (and she’s trained him on and off for two years: “He is really smart. He is sooo cute!”

In the pix, Riley is training with Miss Marilyn. He is being distracted by the lovely July, a gorgeous, apricot miniature poodle, so playful it really challenged Riley’s self control. In another photo he is walking the Petco store with this trainer and in the third, he is sitting like an adorable little Einstein dog. He looked so cute, I added it twice.

Yes, being cute has been his downfall. He gets away with murder. But you decide.