Day 5 - September 21^st

Out witted by an eight and a half week old puppy! Terrible confession, but it’s true.

We were having one of our very active playtimes. (Rough as Lewi calls them) I was sitting on the floor with his tug toy, a string of brightly coloured plastic bones with a rope running through, swinging it around teasing him and he was running about trying to catch it. Each time he caught it we played tug. After a while he realised that he always lost, so he suddenly let go and ran to fetch another toy  which he dropped in front of me. I foolishly let go of the tug toy to pick up the other one and he grabbed the tug toy and ran away with it! Now let anyone try to tell me that he’s not intelligent. Mind you I played the same trick on him a few minutes later. Another trick he has learnt when we are playing on the floor is to charge at me mouth open and doing the funny side to side jumping straight at my face, as if attacking, then end up sticking a wet nose and tongue in my ear. I think I have laughed more in these last 5 days than in the last two years put together.

We went out visiting today. I had promised to help my son to do some work on his pride and joy, a 1974 red MGB. The problem his he has a very crotchety 15 year old cat which would not welcome Lewi into the house. So we took Lewi’s new playpen and set it up on the lawn next to where we were working. He was not very impressed with the restriction on his movement, but enjoyed watching the walkers on the canal towpath across the road and calling out to some of them! What really impressed me was when I watched him first of all pull all his toys to one end of the pen, then he pulled his small vetbed and feeding mat with water container on, to the same end. I wondered what he was doing then saw him walk up to the cleared end of the pen and do a wee. Another proof of his intelligence!

He must have noticed how tired I’ve been the last couple of days as he allowed me a lay in. I was woken at 7 by some frantic calling. Normally I would let him wait till I have dressed before coming downstairs, but this was frantic and urgent.  It’s a good job I did rush, his poor little bladder was full to bursting point – but we made it in time.

He has eaten well today at every meal, so I can stop worrying about whether I am feeding him right and start worrying about whether I am feeding him too much or not enough.

He seems to have learnt to trust me. The clinginess that we went through at the beginning has gone completely it seems. He’s quite happy for me to go out of the house or upstairs (where he is not allowed) without batting an eyelid, so I no longer need to wait for him to be asleep before trying to get on with jobs around the house. In fact, I am able to go round the local corner shop leaving him totally alone. OK he is shut in the kitchen with his toys. All milestones. I think he has also forgiven his crate for the long confinement on the journey from Wales, he now often chooses to curl up in there when he wants to get away from me for a bit of peace and quiet. Mind you it’s especially nice when he chooses to curl up between my feet when we are watching telly.