Gunner was my first Greyhound, adopted in December of 1993. I lost him in September 2000.

He taught me a lot. And I like to sometimes reflect on the things I have learned from my dogs.

The Out-of-Reach Trash Can Story has a few lessons to go along with it.

Gunner was a very smart boy. People generally do not think of Greyhounds when they are considering which breeds are the smartest. I would suggest that be reconsidered. . .

When I first moved to Denver, Gunner moved with me. We lived in a rental house with a roommate and his dog.

The trash can was kept in the cabinet under the kitchen sink. We always were sure to keep that cabinet door closed. It seemed that the trash can was out-of-reach. That's how it seemed.

Gunner, being the smart boy that he was, soon learned how to open that cabinet on his own.

He enjoyed emptying the trash can all over the kitchen floor. Sometimes he would find tasty things to eat. Sometimes he would not. But it was always worth a try.

Since keeping the cabinet closed was not working, I started putting a chair or stool in front of the cabinet to keep him out of it. That did not work for long either. He would simply move the chair or stool out of the way and open the cabinet. And empty out the trash can.

Then I bought one of those child-locks you put on cabinet doors to keep toddlers from opening them. Surely, that would keep him out! No. He could get those things off the cabinet doors faster than I could, I think.

Then he would push the chair out of the way. Open the child-lock. Open the cabinet door. Empty the trash can.

This boy was super smart. Apparently, I was just gradually increasing the complexity of the puzzle toy to solve. And solve it he did.

So, what lessons were learned from this?

Lesson #1. Good management is essential to preventing dogs from preventing unwanted behaviors like getting into trash cans.

Lesson #2. Good management is a relative term. Keeping cabinet doors closed works just fine for most dogs. Putting a chair or stool in front of the cabinet would be unnecessary management in many cases. But not in Gunner's case. Child-locks on cabinets is certainly an effective management tool. Well, in most cases. As I said, good management is a relative term. What is good management for some, is merely a minor challenge for others.

Lesson #3. If you think opposable thumbs are necessary to open cabinet doors, you are mistaken. While it's helpful to have opposable thumbs, you can overcome that deficit with a bit of ingenuity.

Lesson #4. Never let obstacles stop you from accomplishing your goals. Obstacles are merely challenges to be overcome. Never let them get you down. You can overcome!

Lesson #5. Being smarter than a Greyhound is not as easy at is looks. If you think Greyhounds (or dogs in general) are not that hard to outsmart, well, you have clearly never met a dog like Gunner.

Gunner was incredibly smart and a tremendous problem solver. While that sometimes created some challenges for those who lived with him, I would not have changed a thing. I taught him some things. But he taught me far more.

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