Houdini Dave.

It's been a couple of weeks since the last Dave post so there is quite a lot to get through...

We did try running Dave alongside a bicycle, he seems to find it OK, I think Elisa was more worried than he was. It's hard trying to steer with one hand! We're considering getting a dog-bike attachment thing but we'll do more test-runs first.

In the last week we've had two guests at our place, Dave has been totally fine with both of them, no problems with a stranger coming in.

Last Saturday I took Dave kayaking with a friend. After a slightly stressful start Dave seemed okay with the whole thing but as he was sitting/lying on the bottom of the metal kayak he became quite cold and was shivering after 20 minutes. He needs a jacket of some kind as he also started shivering one evening when it was raining quite a lot. He liked to look over the side at the water which made me think he was about to jump overboard but he only once put his feet up on the edge of the kayak.

A life on the open waves.

Point! Dave saw a squirrel in a tree and became absolutely transfixed by it. A real pointer at heart! Even after some days he still looks up into the trees at the same spot on the path.

Squirrel!

Coming home late one night from a walk Dave suddenly jerked to the side and made a strange noise from fear! Apparently it's not only humans that are scared by clowns. The 4 foot high, plastic GB ice-cream man that stands outside the local shop is enough to scare anybody in the daytime, never mind in the dark!






Yesterday we did some outside clicker training and it went really well. After running Dave around some time I went through some commands. Sit, come, follow and stay are all becoming quite solid. Sometimes he lies down instead of just sitting as he's so keen to get that snausage!

After some time we think he's going to be a very obedient dog as he loves getting tasks. After just some minutes training he carried a newspaper to Elisa and was very pleased with himself!

We've noticed that Dave can be a little nervous/cautious. For example, if we move our arms suddenly in a large movement Dave sinks down to the floor and becomes worried. Whether this means he's been abused in the past or just gets a little fright, we're not sure. He is still quite young so it's to be expected for him to be a little unsure about some things. Otherwise everything is okay, we've had no problems at all!

As to the Houdini Dave: we left Dave alone in his crate for a couple of hours and when we opened the door upon our return, we were presented with a Dave standing in the hall to greet us!

The side door to his crate had been left unlocked. After checking the flat we were happy to find no wet spots or teeth-marks anywhere. It looked as if he'd been sleeping among the shoes in the hallway, perhaps they carry our scents the strongest?! He doesn't seem to mind being left alone, we always listen for dog noises as we approach the flat and through the keyhole at the front door but it's always silent within.