Chapter 115: Always Eager to Stir the Pot

Zhang Congwen was quick and sharp; he snatched the leash and gave a sharp tug upward. The poodle’s front paws lifted off the ground, and just as it was about to relieve itself, Zhang forcefully held it back.

Then Zhang released the leash and watched the dog’s movements closely. Whenever the dog showed signs of wanting to urinate, Zhang repeated the same action to stop it.

After much effort, they finally got downstairs, but the poodle immediately tried to urinate at the entrance of the residential corridor again.

Zhang dragged the poodle along while saying to its owner, “The simplest way to handle this is not to let it stop. Keep pulling it along until you reach an appropriate place for it to relieve itself. Dogs can hold their urine for a little while—it’s not a big deal. They just need to endure it.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the poodle stubbornly planted itself, unwilling to move forward with Zhang.

But Zhang had no intention of indulging this bad habit; his footsteps never faltered.

He tugged hard on the leash, forcing the poodle to take a step forward.

As they walked, Zhang said, “If it refuses to follow your pace and tries to resist, don’t hesitate or feel sorry for it. Use some force and drag it along. For a dog that’s been unruly since puppyhood, you need to impose stricter limits. Don’t care whether it’s willing or not—once you set the rules, it should abide by them.”

Under Zhang’s firm control, the poodle’s anger was building up. Before they even left the compound, the dog suddenly exploded in frustration.

It stood upright on its hind legs and bit fiercely at the leash around its neck.

Zhang was unfazed by this reaction. To him, the dog’s defiance was like an ant opening its jaws, thinking itself ferocious. But to Zhang, it was inconsequential.

He simply grabbed the leash with one hand, pulling the dog up.

“Don’t be afraid when this happens,” Zhang said. “As long as it breaks the rules, treat it like I do. No matter how much it struggles, the pain is on its neck. If it can endure it, just keep doing this. When it finally can’t take it anymore and gives in, then you keep moving forward.”

The three of them—two humans and one dog—stumbled along, eventually making it out of the compound.

Once on the street, Zhang handed the leash back to the owner and told her to continue walking the dog her way.

The moment the poodle sensed the leash was back in its owner’s hands, it immediately grew defiant again, refusing to cooperate.

But it didn’t realize that its owner was no longer the same woman who had once let it bully her.

No matter how much it fussed—jumping up and down or refusing to move forward—those tactics no longer worked.

Following Zhang’s advice, the owner tightened the leash several times, and the poodle finally calmed down.

It stopped urinating indiscriminately and no longer ran around wildly. Instead, it began to walk closely beside its owner’s leg, matching her pace steadily.

Zhang said, “You should notice the change in your dog, right? Do you prefer it like this now, or the way it was before?”

The owner looked at her dog and couldn’t help but smile. She hadn’t even realized it herself.

“Of course, like this now,” she said.

Everyone wants to raise a well-behaved dog. Compared to the dog that used to bare its teeth whenever displeased, anyone—even a fool—would choose this obedient version.

After a few rounds of walking, the dog no longer showed its old bad habits.

However, on the way back, as they reached the building entrance of the compound, the poodle suddenly pulled excitedly, eager to rush home.

The owner hadn’t realized this was wrong and quickly tried to grab the leash from the woman’s hand, yanking the poodle close.

Zhang said, “Remember this: never let it act on its own whims, even if it’s doing something you want to do. You must lead, even in things you want to do, not let it lead you.”

Though it seemed trivial, this was crucial.

The purpose was not to force the dog to obey out of dominance or satisfy your desire to control, but to establish clear rules so the dog knows who’s in charge and to help the owner build leadership and authority.

Standing downstairs, Zhang held the leash without doing anything else.

But if the dog tried to bolt inside, Zhang would pull the leash backward until the poodle completely calmed down and its urge to rush home diminished. Only then would Zhang step inside.

Back in the apartment, Zhang gave the owner further instructions.

From now on, every time she took the dog out, she must put on a muzzle to prevent it from injuring innocent passersby or other dogs.

Also, when encountering other dogs, she must control her dog and have it sit down. Only after the other dog passes can she continue their walk.

Taking advantage of the moment, Zhang sold the owner a muzzle from their training base, earning a small commission roughly equivalent to a bottle of soda.

On the way back, Song Jiawei drove the car while asking Zhang, “So, how was the owner? Did she make you angry? When I first watched the video, I almost lost it.”

Zhang sighed. “I was about to lose my temper too. When we first met, I didn’t say anything nice to her. If she had been a hot-tempered man, we might have ended up fighting.”

Song Jiawei was speechless.

He had never seen Zhang truly angry and immediately pressed, “What happened? Tell me, come on, tell me!”

His attitude was that of someone who enjoys watching a good show.

“Just focus on driving. I’ll tell you when we get back,” Zhang said irritably. “The dog’s problems aren’t as serious as we initially thought. It’s mainly the owner’s negligence that turned the dog into what it is now. Quite a mess. Fortunately, she admitted her mistakes and corrected them promptly. Overall, the owner is reasonable but lacks consideration for others.”

After saying this, Zhang asked, “What’s the next client’s issue? Please tell me it’s nothing like this.”

Hearing Zhang’s question, Song Jiawei perked up, almost losing control of the accelerating car. “The next client is impressive. He’s a professional player in Red Alert and my idol—nicknamed the Steel Torrent, Tong Superman.”

“Fatso, focus on driving!” Zhang exclaimed, startled by Song’s reaction. “Even if he’s your idol, you shouldn’t get this worked up. What if something happens?”

Though Zhang wasn’t into the esports scene, he had heard of Tong Superman, all from Song.

Tong Superman was his real name, not a fan-given nickname.

But from what Zhang knew about Song, despite being his idol, Song had never acted so excited before.

Song gave an unwilling warning, “I told you, call me by my nickname if you want, but don’t add ‘Dead’ in front. That’s rude.”

Zhang ignored the warning. “Still, you shouldn’t get that worked up, right?”

Song chuckled mischievously. “Do you know what kind of dog he has? A Great Dane! I’ve never seen anyone training such a large dog for so long. I definitely need to check it out.”

“Don’t forget I’ve trained Tibetan Mastiffs. They’re no smaller than Great Danes,” Zhang scoffed.

Song suddenly remembered that not long ago Zhang had trained a Tibetan Mastiff at Ding Changzhang’s place and immediately lost his mischievous grin. But he added, “Don’t underestimate it. According to Tong Superman, that Great Dane is a fierce dog.”