Over the last few days, things have generally felt a good bit calmer. There are still moments when I feel jumpy and anxious but there are fewer of these now, and the times in between are longer and more settled.
Initially it felt like being in a foreign country where I didn’t understand the language, gestures or customs. Being in a stranger’s house and not knowing their rules or routines is hard when you don’t have a shared communication system, but we’re slowly developing a ‘vocabulary’ and my hoomans are getting better at showing me what they mean. They’re also slowly learning my language too, but for now, as I seem to be the brightest of us all, I’m better at understanding them than they are at getting what I’m trying to say. I’m pretty good at being patient though, so I’ll keep on working with them and I’m sure they’ll get better.
I’m also beginning to enjoy more contact with my hoomans. They seem to like – and even need – this, and I’m beginning to see that it might actually be nice sometimes. It certainly makes us feel closer as a pack and helps to strengthen the bond of our pack scent.
One thing though… I had a bit of a… clash with Dax. We’d been ignoring each other for days, then on this one day that seemed to change. I felt I needed to defend myself and my pack so I rushed forward, but the hoomans seemed to want me to stay away… Thankfully I wasn’t hurt but I’m more wary when I see or smell him now. Robyn keeps us separated, which can make our walks up to the fields a bit convoluted as she moves them around while I wait – I’ve got really good at ‘Wait’ 😊 – until she opens the gate for me. She keeps a fence between us now, as well as distance.
I’ve been getting really good at some other commands too, for example ‘Come’ – though this one can be difficult when I’ve found a scent I want to follow, and ‘Down’. I’m good at guarding too, but can’t get why they seem to want me to stop barking even when the intruder is obviously still there!
I’ve also discovered that there are lots of great places to dig here – though Tim and Robyn don’t seem to share my enthusiasm for this game and often seem dismayed when I come back indoors commenting on the ‘mud’ again… Sometimes I catch Robyn trying not to laugh though, so it’s not too bad 😊
Another thing I like to do is to sit near the kitchen door where there are some tall flowers. They often ‘buzz’ quite loudly and if I watch, I see a bee fly out! It’s great fun!
