Dog training is similar to the law of physics: invested energy equals peace

As of: 3:20 p.m| Reading time: 3 minutes

DrThe joy of the reunion was great when my parents and I emerged from the Roman hotel “Casa di Santa Francesca,” designated for Catholic pilgrimage groups, and met Jack who was waiting outside. He greeted me warmly three minutes ago, and he hasn't seen my father for two years. Despite this, or perhaps for this reason, I was first in class. Only then did he seem to remember that he had met these two nice people before. Like I said: That was two years ago and we were on this mountain in Sicily, but it is said that dogs have the memories of elephants.

Conversely, my parents were also very familiar with Jack. They know about his eating habits, his playmate Mina, and his destructive outbursts when he's home alone (which is becoming rare). They know this because they ask about it in every phone call, and because they are loyal readers of this column. I felt a closeness through studying texts: I secretly call this the Taylor Swift effect.

Speaking of this topic

So the mood was bright as we headed to Isola Tiberina. For Jack, this manifested itself in him playfully grabbing my hand. That was the first negative point he raised with my mother. But I reassured her: she should look at his teeth. If he was serious he would have eaten me by now.

We admired the sunset, explored the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, and had a passerby take group photos. He'd probably seen too many times friendly strangers chop off their feet or pull the trigger on a crooked smile, so he simply produced an entire sequence in a matter of seconds.

Jack showed his best sides and most convincing photo faces. Casual, yet present. Highly priced but accessible. Sexy but discreet. In the photos, he appears to be trying to pose for Polo Ralph Lauren's upcoming campaign in the Hamptons. A Sicilian street dog rather than the usual retrievers from luxury breeding farms – in his opinion, probably the most important contribution to diversity and inclusion in the modeling world.

Every day is a new battle

What was also notable: Jack used the size of the group to allow his now good manners to recede again. He pulled the leash and started a spontaneous argument with the seagull and the other walkers. You can't say he misbehaved. He just did what he wanted. When we moved in with him, we assumed the dog would need to be well trained and start working.

Two and a half years later, we realized that this work was never finished. And it starts over every day. As soon as we direct our attention elsewhere or show weakness, Jack senses it and fills the power gap with his strong will. He doesn't mean that in a bad way, it's more like a law of physics. I don't think this translates to humans (I'm a humanist in this regard). But between humans and dogs the following applies: energy invested equals peace.