Saint Jackson

To say we lucked out with the dog we adopted is an understatement. To say we were blessed - well that might be a slight overstatement - but it's much closer to the truth.

My wife has been trying to train Jackson to go "into his house" (his crate). Anytime when "his people" are all out of the house or bedtime, he stays in "his house". He goes in fairly reluctantly, but he doesn't put up too much of a fuss.

Lately, we've noticed that during the day, when he needs a nap, he'll walk into his house voluntarily and nap, then come out when he's rested.

Now you may think this is no big deal. Most dogs have their own bed where they go to rest and sleep. But our experience with our last dog was not like that. Every time we'd give Ollie a bed or some kind of stuffed pillow to lie on , he'd rip it to sheds instead.

So, what happened last night seemed remarkable. It was time for bed. Jackson was semi-sleeping on the couch. I figured I'd carry him and put him in his crate. But as I got up, his head popped up. Instead, I called him to come with me into the kitchen. He followed me. I said "time to go to your house." He freely walked ahead of me and walked right into the crate. I think he would have latched himself in if the latch was on the inside of the door (and he had thumbs).

To us, this was amazing.