Catching up: Plates, nose bumps, and the sofa

I haven’t posted in a while; nothing dramatic has happened. Enzo has continued to get more comfortable with us, and it shows in small ways.

Dogs in our home get to lick plates after dinner. Not only is it a treat for the dogs, but we view the pre-cleaning as a useful function. It’s part of the Dog job description. It takes a while for new dogs to “get it”, and it takes longer for the skittish ones to feel safe enough to do a good job instead of just hastily scarfing up any lumps. Enzo not only does a good job with his plates, but Expects Something when we’re done eating.

I also ask dogs in our household to bump my hand with their nose to say, “yes”, such as in answer to, “Would you like dinner?” or, “Would you like to go out?” Again, it takes a while, especially for the skittish ones, but he now gives me a bump 90% of the time. (He also learned, on his own from my dogs, to jump up and down excitedly at the prospect of dinner, so dinnertime is quite the show.)

He’s more comfortable meeting people. He has made a spot on the sofa his. And he wants to be on the bed with us now, on an everyday basis. He even spent part of the night there recently.