Obi Update

 

It has been a while since I have given a Kenobi update.  His puppy days are over.  He is 2 year and 7 months old now.  Though he is no longer a puppy, he is has lots of energy and still learning new tricks.  We discovered his funniest and most annoying trick this summer during our camping trips.  Kenobi loves to go camping!  As soon as he witnesses Bruce putting the hitch on the truck, he is ready to go.  If we accidentally open the door to the truck, he jumps right on in and waits.  This can be annoying on our longer trip because he was so excited he didn't relieve himself before planting himself in the truck.  We are trying to break him of his excited whine during our drive.  We have learned that if we drop him off at daycare for a few hours, he is tired enough from playing that he sleeps the majority of the trip.  Unfortunately, our last trip was 4 1/2 hours away and his was on the tail end of a bout with kennel cough so I didn't take him to daycare.  It was a long trip in the rain with  his high pitched whine piercing our souls.  I gave him a kong with peanut butter, but that did nothing to distract him from the excitement of going camping. Another thing that stops the whining is sticking head head out the window. Sometimes we don't follow his hints of wanting the window down so he has discovered how to roll the window down by bopping the button with his nose 3 or 4 times or by holding it down with his paw.  At first we thought it was accidental, but we now know it is very purposeful. Funny, but wrong. My husband now locks the windows using his control.  This is a pet peeve of mine.  More than once I have tried to take a photo or talk to someone out my passenger window and am met with unmoving glass.  I typically tell Kenobi that he is making me a prisoner in my own car!  He is not moved by my plea because as soon as Bruce unlocks the windows so that I can take a photo, I hear Kenobi bopping the button behind me lowering the window bit by bit until he can feel the wind in his face.  Smart dog, annoyingly smart.

Kenobi loves hiking. Last summer I took him on many local hikes in the Metroparks, but this year our hiking has taken place at the campgrounds and forests we have camped near.  He does great on the trail with little correction when he sees a squirrel or deer. We always start a hike with his leash on. Depending on the area's leash laws, sometimes we will take it off for a mile or so. He has done great with his training and stays with us, if he gets a head of us we call and he comes right back.  He is still great with my mobility issues and if I am going down stairs, declining on a set of rocks or a steep hill, he waits for me at the bottom. On more than one occasion this summer he has given me  heart attack first at Letchworth State Park and then again in Hocking Hills as he has jumped on the overlook wall  for a better look.  "Two paws on the ground!" I shout.  

We rarely hear Kenobi bark unless it is at critters to stay out of our yard at dusk.  So the sound of his barking and the image of him looking out the front window as we pulled the trailer from the driveway was surprising.  We realized that he thought we were going camping with out him.  He was confused when we returned 30 minutes later with no trailer.  He came out and sniffed the driveway where the trailer has resided the majority of the summer not understanding we put it away for the winter.  Again, this can't be stated enough.  This dog loves camping.  The walks. Sitting by the campfire. exploring new scents. The hiking. And just spending uninterrupted time with his people.  This year, he even tried kayaking.  He rode about 20 feet for our test.  The jury is still out whether he and I can find a balance and space or whether his curiosity and love of water will cause a splash of concern.

My 50 pound boy is still cuddly.  Most nights he comes to the foot of my recliner and stares at me until I call him up for a hug.  He then will jump down from my chair and onto the couch with my husband to settle in for the night.  His overnight sleeping preference, the leather recliner.  My husband and I joked as we were discussing his being boarded for the first time. "They told me to take his bed." I explained.  "How are we going to get the recliner there." my husband quipped. Honestly, if Kenobi weren't as well trained and listened as well as he does, he would not get the opportunities he is given.  He is loving life and we are loving him.

Reflection: It still amazes me that how smart his is (the dog plays pup soccer and knows the rules), he still struggles with the concept of fetch.  He will catch the toy, but often I have to remind him to bring it to me instead of running past me.  Looking back, I taught him pup soccer before I taught him fetch.  Blame the human.