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It is no easy thing to get a dog to do what our heroine, WILLi, does for Dr. Ellen’s camera. It takes patience and treats when she does the right thing at the right time – oh, and a great many hugs!

Her owner, Dave Hazzard of Williamsburg, is expert at working with Willi (whose name in real life is Chelsea.)

He is patient with her and always rewards her with a small treat when she does what she is asked to do. THIS IS THE SECRET TO SUCCESSFUL DOG TRAINING. Dave always carries treats in his pockets for her and she knows where they are, too! After she does a twirl on her hind feet or a loop-da-loop in the air she gets a treat. When she rolls over she gets a treat…second roll, second treat…third roll, third treat.

What kinds of treats does Dave use? He mainly uses a tasty dry dog food and also a bit of cheese sometimes, but nothing too caloric. Remember, no fried foods for dogs, ever! No chocolate, either.

Try it. Put some small, tasty treats in your pocket:

*When you want your dog to sit, hold a treat a bit above her head and say “sit.”
*Give her the treat and praise her for a “good sit!”
*Repeat three or four times, then try again tomorrow (dogs get tired, too).

Rewarding your dog for good behavior sounds pretty simple, and it is pretty simple! But to practice the technique effectively you should follow some basic guidelines such as these from the Humane Society of the United States.

A good rule of thumb is this: never give a treat without a trick. Meaning, there should be no free rides for dogs when it comes to treats. Always make your dog obey some kind of command before rewarding her with a treat. This way she will always respond to the use of treats in training and she will know to look for them.

Good dog, Willi…good show!

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The Colonial Parkway is one of those special places in Virginia. The 23-mile (37 km) route connects the historic sties of Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown, and it is the route that WILLI took in her quest to find her owner.

The Parkway is a National Scenic Byway and an All-American road (one of only 27 in the United States!). It is free of trucks and it has numerous pull-offs where you can stop to see either the James or the York Rivers (depending on where you are), and feed bread to the seagulls. Many people also fish along the banks of the mighty York River, and many more ride bikes along the whole 23-mile stretch!

The Parkway is beautiful year round but spring and fall are especially popular times when visitors from hundreds of miles away come to view its natural splender. Don’t forget to bring a picnic lunch with you! And maybe some binoculars. Here Willi enjoys a siesta along the Parkway.

The Parkway has mile markers that show you the kilometers that you have traveled from Jamestown to Yorktown. They can be hard to spot, some of them, while others are out in the open like this one:

The Parkway is home to many animals, among them the Barred owl, raccoons, deer, squirrels, red fox, and birds and ducks of all kinds. Willi made friends with many of them as she traveled the Parkway, which made her journey so much less lonely!

A lovely surprise along the Parkway as you approach Yorktown are the banks of YORKTOWN ONIONS that grow wild only in this one particular spot. In fact, they are native only to York County, VA. And they are protected, so don’t pick them! Just enjoy them.

At the other end of the Parkway, at Jamestown Settlement, you will find re-creations of three ships that brought English colonists to Virginia in 1607. Did you know? This was thirteen years before the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts! They are one of the main a