Dog School

One of my favorite places in the city is the Parque México. It is quiet, and lush, and two blocks from my apartment. I find myself wandering through the park almost every day--jogging (rare) or on my way out to eat (common). The only thing better than people watching on the weekend in the Parque México is dog watching on the weekdays. This is partly because I miss my own dog. But really, I think this quantity of well-behaved dogs all in one place should be counted among the great Mexican marvels. Mexicans are always complaining to me about a lack of discipline they feel exists in their culture, but this is certainly not the case for the dogs at the Condesa dog school.

I can walk by with raw steaks dripping raw steak juice all over the sidewalk, and the dogs remain nonplussed, waiting patiently to be singled out by the diligent trainers for a new trick.



My favorite trick that they teach dogs at the Condesa dog school is the "chest to the ground" trick. When the trainer yells "chest to the ground!" the dog immediately begins to scuttle along, its chest brushing the ground, as if it's completing the last leg (the tunnel, by far the most difficult) of a very important obstacle course for chihuahuas.



Sometimes waiting to be singled out by the trainer is just too overwhelming, and a nap is the only way to calm canine nerves.