Chapter 114: Responsible Pet Ownership Starts with Me

The sudden movement startled not only the toy poodle but its owner as well. Zhang Congwen, however, remained unfazed and asked the woman, "What do you think is its attitude toward me right now?"

"Fear," she answered honestly.

"Then do you think it still dares to bite me?" Zhang asked again.

The woman shook her head. Seeing that she understood his point, Zhang began the training. He first had her stand up from the sofa and approach the poodle with her chest out and head held high. Faced with this sudden shift in her demeanor, the dog was momentarily confused and could only retreat.

Seeing that her attitude was not yet firm enough, Zhang added, "Whatever freedom it enjoyed at home before, use that same attitude to push back now. Keep going," he urged. "If you feel guilty or can't bear to treat your dog this way, keep practicing until you shed that useless pity." As he spoke, he headed toward the door.

That earlier kick had thoroughly terrified the poodle. As long as he was present, the dog would struggle to reveal its true nature. That was why Zhang wanted Song Jiawei to step in and take over the training. He had already taught the owner the techniques; whether she could succeed was now entirely up to her.

Back in the car downstairs, Zhang gave Song a few instructions. Song then posed as a guest and arrived at the woman's home. The moment he knocked, the poodle instinctively ran over and barked at the door. But this time, the woman didn't let the dog have its way. She shooed it off first, opened the door just a crack, and blocked the dog’s view. She then followed Zhang’s method, step by step, driving the poodle into the corner of the sofa.

*Whimper...* The poodle let out a low growl, trying to use it to intimidate its owner as it usually did. But to the dog's shock, its owner completely ignored the growling, instead pulling out a leash, fastening it around the dog's neck, and forcibly dragging it off the sofa and into the corner of the living room. Only then did she let Song inside.

The poodle couldn't comprehend this shift and could only lie silently on the floor, watching the people in the room, not daring to move. Yet, as soon as Song and the owner sat on the sofa, the dog’s true nature resurfaced; it growled and started moving toward Song. However, this time, its owner did not indulge it. She stood up and quickly blocked its path. Terrified by her action, the dog retreated repeatedly until it finally stayed put in the corner, not daring to act out again.

About ten minutes later, seeing that the dog had calmed down, Song followed Zhang's instructions and left to see if the dog would pounce and bite as before. To his surprise, the moment he reached the doorway, the dog lunged and snapped at his feet. It was so fast that the owner didn't even react. By the time she reached them, the dog had already bitten Song’s shoe. Perhaps remembering Zhang’s words, or perhaps seeing the look in Song’s eyes, the owner kicked out at the dog. But the force was so light that it looked more like she was just nudging it away with her foot.

Because this had happened, Song didn't leave. Since the dog still showed aggression, the training had failed and needed to be restarted. The two sat back down and waited another ten minutes, but this time, the owner stood up first to open the door. Unexpectedly, the moment she reached the door, the dog lunged at Song again. This time, Song was prepared and made a kicking motion, which scared the dog back.

"Do you know why it bit me?" Song asked. "I gave it a treat when I came in, so it saw me as someone showing it kindness. According to our trainer, its first bite means the training failed—it was frustrated because you stopped it. The second bite happened because I let you open the door first. In its eyes, you, the dominant figure, left me behind, so I became its punching bag."

The owner was stunned; she had never realized such a dynamic existed. Her own dog's personality... showing it kindness only made it see you as someone easy to bully. Thinking back on her past experiences, she realized she had been playing the very role Song was in now.

Song continued, "According to our trainer, the simplest way to break this bad habit in this little brat is to ignore it. A wolf in sheep's clothing that bites its own owner doesn't deserve much love or affection." He then tapped into his professional sales skills to comfort her: "You've seen the results yourself. I know it's hard to accept that your dog is a 'wolf in sheep's clothing,' but the facts are right in front of you. You should think about this—not just to keep it from biting others, but at least to ensure you aren't bitten yourself."

With that, Song stared at the dog and walked out. "Damn it, thank goodness I wore extra bite-proof padding. Otherwise, I might have walked away with a wound today," he grumbled. "Zhang Congwen is a real piece of work, making me deal with the biting. Next time I work with him, I’m asking if I’m expected to feed the dog with my own flesh."

After Song left, Zhang returned. The biting training was finished, but there was still the issue of walking the dog. Although it wasn't on the original list of services, Zhang decided to give them a free lesson. The problem of a dog urinating everywhere wasn't trivial. The behavior of certain extreme groups in the dog-owning community had already created prejudice among the public. Letting the dog urinate indiscriminately only fueled that animosity. Furthermore, civilized dog ownership was a basic responsibility; owning a dog didn't make one superior or entitled to disregard others.

Urinating on elevator doors, public benches, car tires, gym equipment, or storefronts wasn't just a nuisance; it caused unnecessary conflict. A dog isn't a human, so its ignorance is understandable. But a human isn't a dog—how could a human not understand that? There were plenty of places to go; why insist on making life difficult for others?

After giving the owner a few pointers, Zhang had her leash the dog and follow him outside. The moment they stepped into the elevator, the dog immediately began to reveal its true colors, preparing to relieve itself right there in the car.