He thinks he's the classroom monitor. He really doesn't like dogs who bark at other dogs. Then, of course, he becomes the dog barking at other dogs.
He's confused about what sitting means... he's convinced down is the only way to go. It this a general Dane thing? Chances of him wondering off from me while off leash are pretty much 75% to nil, in class. In order to get him to not watch me while practicing off leash, I had to throw the treats across the room. I left him with the teacher to wash my hands and he got audibly upset.....hmmmm velcro dog...... (will not be putting that theory to test)
When he is done... he is done. His max attention span is about 35 minutes. Not even placing the treat in front of his nose will change his mind. He just looks at me with eyes that say, "whatever woman".... then the head pushing at my rear end says... "Let's go, I am ready for the luxurious ride in the backseat of the truck. I'm WAY over due for my nap.... COME.... GO....NOW". (Does anyones else have a Dane that tells you with rear pushes that he's ready to go home?)
And finally, what he taught me this week - If he's gonna have to go the bathroom at class it will NOT be the unsmelly kind but will have the consistency of it... and there will be NO WARNING it's coming. No chance to get him outside. Oh... the horror.... embarrassment.... mostly... just the SMELL! Which led to at least one other dog urinating on the floor... probably to "Cover" up the smell. The teacher actually moved to the other side of the building until the cleaning up was done. It was really awful to have an audience as you try not to make wretching noises while cleaning up the mess with just paper towels and your BARE hands. Next time, I will bring the leash with the plastic bags. Lesson Learned! (We have addressed the upset tummy.)
Outside of class -
He won't go outside without his sister dog for more than five minutes.
He's petrified of storms but will follow behind me as I push the lawn mower around the yard. (Not tooo close - I promise)
He nudges everyone aside as they come into the house until he finds the one he's looking for. (Working on those door manners)
He sleeps in positions that are slightly painful to look at.
Has the patience of a saint with his Human sister. Although, she doesn't dress him up in clothes, she does require a lot "Drakie love". Just grabs ahold of that sweet head and hugs him.
In short... he is very much loved. Even my husband is a bit crazy about him. We are taking them to Doggie Daycare for a pre vacation overnight trip soon.... is the separation painful for the human?