Dickens At Play

Dickens has been here a week today. This also marks a week of big change for Daisy, who hasn't had a roomie with a tail for a very long time. She might not like having a big goofy dog around the house, but she's getting used to him, as he is to her.

Dickens is getting the message, too, that Daisy has reserves she has not yet called up. Yesterday he tried to initiate play, but went a bit too far too fast, and got nipped. I think this surprised him. This morning he tried it again, and Daisy responded in the manner he'd hoped for. They romped and ran and wrestled and tumbled for several minutes, which at Daisy's age is quite an effort. They both enjoyed themselves and when it was over they flopped on the grass, panting.

Daisy asserted herself another way this morning, after Dickens appropriated her tennis ball. He dropped it to have a sniff at something and Daisy picked it up and walked away with it. Dickens noticed the ball was gone, and saw Daisy with it, and started toward her. But this time she held her ground––and her ball––and Dickens looked lost for a second. This isn't the way this is supposed to happen. They both wondered why the human was laughing.

Dickens has learned sit, stay, come, and down, the latter being the the one that came hardest, because the down is a submissive position and he doesn't know the meaning of the word. Truth be told, he doesn't always know the meaning of the words sit, stay, or come, either, or pretends not to when it suits him. But progress is being made. He now sits without being told when we go to the back door, and when I put his food bowl down, and he's just about learned not to leap out of the car when I open the door.

We still have the joined-at-the-hip problem, but he's gone as long as 20 minutes out in the back yard by himself without going nuts. I need to go to the hardware store today and I plan to leave him in the house while I'm gone. I might regret it later, but there is no progress without sacrifice.