Small dog, big beach. We had a sort of Mexican standoff, yesterday. Bao sat down on the beach and wouldn't budge.

Shih Tzus are stubborn. That's why they rarely win Best of Sh0w. They go around the ring once, and that's it. Been there, done that. If you let a Shih Tzu win, a precedent is set. Even before I got Bao, I had decided the puppy was not going to sleep on the bed. He was seven weeks old when I brought him home. He spent the first half of the first night in a basket beside my bed. He's been on the bed ever since. Under the covers, when its cold.

So when he sat down on the beach, I knew I had to win. Dragging him was not an option. (Have you ever dragged a ShihTzu?) So I dropped the leash, and walked away. Usually if I do this, he'll come running after me. Not this time. I walked so far away that he was a forlorn speck on the sand, motionless. Then I went back to him and looked him in the eye and said, What?

Suddenly, I got it. He wanted me to take off his leash. I did. He immediately jumped up and we walked for nearly half a mile, Bao trotting happily at my side. Usually, he hates being off his leash. Not here. Not on the beach. I don't even pretend to understand. Do you?