When I was a pup, I was mistakenly left alone in the house once; free to roam, free to play, free to act responsibly.  Wow!  Watch what I can do.

I’m gonna tear up the rug in the hallway, chew on every wooden chair leg in the dining room, rip off the bottoms of a curtain or two in the living room, knock over my water bowl in the kitchen, pee on that pile of dirty clothes in the laundry room, and then, when I’m tired, go to sleep on the bed in the bedroom.

Freedom feels good but you must pay for your kicks.  

Some while later, I was awakened by a shrill scream.  In the fog of sleepy thought, the echo of my name careened from one room to the next.  WILLIE BEAN ROSCOE P. COLTRANE, where are you?  I was in TROUBLE!  I found myself fully conscious and soon confined in a wire cage, 2’ x 3’ x 27”.  I was told that I was to remain in that cage until I learned how to be a good dog.  

I was no longer free.  I was confined.  It was going to be very difficult to show how responsibly I could act.

I believe that freedom must be granted in order to elicit responsible behavior.  If I am given the slightest freedom, I can use that freedom to act responsibly and thus earn more freedom.  
Even in my cage, I am able to use what little freedom I have within the cage to show that I am a responsible cage dweller.  I will now, with my new caged freedom, destroy my dog blanket, dig around the floor of the cage, upset my food and water dish, tear off the dew claw on my right front leg and bleed all over the floor.  It’s nothing that a $187.00 visit to the Vet can’t fix.

Whoops.  That was irresponsible, wasn’t it?

I presume I’ll be living in this cage for awhile.

Dog Rule #4:  Responsibility requires Freedom to act Responsibly, to achieve more Freedom.

The Wisdom of Willie Bean