Too Smart for His Own Good

Upon learning that he's a Shepherd, not a Lab, Orion got smarter. Much smarter. Like, 40 IQ points or something.

We've been leaving him home alone a few times a week for a few hours at a time. The blinds must be open, so he can see out in all directions. He must be sent to his bed and given Newman's Own treats before I walk out the door. He must have a full water bowl, of course. Often I leave the tv on for company, too. And of course he's still on Clomicalm. So far, so good - until he discovered he's a Shepherd.

A few weeks ago we were gone for several hours while running errands and picking my sister up at the airport. It wasn't much longer than usual, but it turned out that time wasn't the issue. As we pulled up to the house, Orion greeted us. From the front lawn. Our front door was wide open.

Now, security issues aside, we have two old indoor cats, so the open front door scared the hell out of me. Omen, our Maine Coon cat was sitting just inside the door, apparently displeased with the Floridian humidity. I sent the kids looking for our other cat, Callie. No Callie. As a thunderstorm opened up directly overhead, my sister crawled around the outside of our home calling the cat. A few more bolts of lightening and both the cat and my sister beat feet to the front door to get back in a.s.a.p. So thanks to the storm, we had everyone inside safely within a few minutes.

Once the initial pet-panic was over, however, we had a chance to consider what exactly the dog had done to escape. He had unlocked the deadbolt, turned the doorknob, and pulled the door open. That's impressive. I know humans who can't handle "pull" doors. To make matters worse, a very, VERY kind neighbor stopped by that evening to tell us she had seen him out, returned him, and relocked our door 3 times that morning, apparently before the last time when we came home. So it wasn't a fluke; he learned how to open the door.

We considered child-proof covers, but he's stronger than they are. We considered more locks or chains, but he's already destroyed the trim they would be anchored to, so they wouldn't hold either. We were stumped.

Finally, the time came when I had to leave him again. I gave him Benydryl (at our vet's recommended dose) and locked him in his crate. I used a padlock on the latch, and 6 other metal latches to reinforce the door (he's broken out of it before). I called my husband and told him to come home as soon as he could, then I left, hoping for the best.

We've had to leave him several times since then, and next week, it's going to be almost daily. He tears up all his bedding, pants, and probably cries, but he hasn't hurt himself or gotten free - yet. Hopefully in time he'll get used to it and just take a nap. Hopefully. If he can learn to open doors, maybe he can learn that we're coming home, too.