Feeling at home

Mackenzie (Mac)

Well Mac's been with us for a day and a night and a day - seems like an age ago. They say mental training for dogs is just as good as physical exercise, It's certainly knackered us. Woke up this morning and it was like going straight into some intense management course where ever action has an equal and oppostite reaction. I have never done this with such a young dog - and he is quick to learn. It is astonishing progress. He will come to his name indoors and out, respond to sit and down requests and after 4 shortish walks he is getting the idea of walking to heel. We played a few games of fetch and he will fetch and drop the ball at your feet. Patience and gentle persuasion - namely small bits of food every time he does something good -will it seems, deliver the required result.
Of course there are lots of things he has to learn to undo. ie. Piss on the carpet ( that only happened once - and he has got the idea of the garden now) don't jump up at people, or indeed on the furniture and don't frighten the visitors - to name a few. These are all work in progress.
It is a privilige to have him in our pack - an animal first and foremost - a completely diffrerent species, prepared and willing to learn our ways and integrate into our lives - is there any other animal that this can be done with? Having given it some thought, the only thing I could come up with was : "Perhaps Meerkats", from the little I know about them, they appear to be highly social pack animals - but I've not heard of anyone trying - probably for the best - perhaps they wouldn't be prepared to be in any position other than above humans in the order of things and it would just end up  a terribly humilating experience for the humans involved.
Oh. One other thing. The one place we won't let him go in the house is our bedroom. He seems to respect this completely and will only stand on the threshold. He came once to sniff at the door last night then slept on his bed under the table without any disturbance whatsover - this is not quite what we had been anticipating. We are eternally grateful and looking forward to a repeat performance tonight.