We decided to give him a cowboy rather than a yuppie name, so we dropped the “bl” and added a “j.” Sometimes we get confused and call him Captain Jake, which he likes just fine.
He never lets me out of his sight unless forced to, and has never attempted to bolt – even when there’s a door open to the big, great outdoor world. He’s pretty much a one-man dog, but he still respects family and friends.
He is very, very smart. He is so smart he is expert at playing dumb. I’m going to rate him in the top 5% of dogs I’ve trained. I’m very excited to find out his potential for increasing vocabulary and obedience achievements.
His muzzle dexterity is uncanny. He took my wallet out of my drawer (by opening it) and put it on my chair. He took my cell phone out of its cradle, unplugged it somehow from the USB charger without upsetting my desk, and placed it on the floor to the entrance of my office. He is rarely destructive – only mischievous. It is almost as if he wants us to know he is smarter than we think. I wouldn’t be surprised if he winked!
He is very sly with the cat, but at least he doesn’t drool like Captain did the first six months . . . and, of course, this is Elsie’s fourth dog, so she’s an old hand. She never hisses or reacts to his shenanigans.
He is incredibly magnificent to watch, both on and off leash, and has five very distinct gaits that we call grizzly bear, cat prowl, pony prance, wolf lope, and lion hunt (lion hunt is a full gait where he keeps his front and back legs together respectively). Every time he tries the lion hunt going down the stairs he takes a tumble.
We think he may be younger that you were thinking. Besides that he still doesn’t lift his leg, he’s always bumping his head under tables, slamming into walls, and is more than happy to tumble down the curve of our stairs for the sheer joy of it. He is VERY adolescent!
He has become comfortable with and, I think, even loves the constant flow of people through our house – the only unknown left now is how he’ll do with small children pulling on his tail and private parts. Given his desire to please, I wouldn’t be surprised if he could be trained to do nearly anything.
Thanks for holding on to one of the best dogs in the world for us!