Old Dog, New Tricks

Merlin with his faithful outdoor companion. The Ball.

It’s been six weeks since we lost Max, Corgi Extraordinaire. We are slowly adjusting to his lack of presence. Our other Corgi, Merlin, is slowly adjusting to being the only dog. It took him a while to learn he could come up on the bed, sleep on the bed, use the dog stairs to clamber up on once forbidden territory. The bedroom used to be Max’s domain, a place for an old dog to relax and escape from his snarky younger brother. Max would nap, watch a little TV, (he liked the cooking channel and Bloomberg news) and contemplate dog things. Merlin contemplates dog things from his comfy bed in his crate, and now listens to music during the day. He likes light jazz, the 80's station, fetch, and long walks in the park on a sunny day.

Merlin still wanders sometimes, searching for Max, we think. There is less wandering than the first two weeks, but still, it’s hard to remove someone who was there your whole life and not miss them. To combat boredom, we bought Merlin a dog puzzle. One of those that has hidden compartments you place treats in and hide under fake plastic bones fitted into the slots. He figured it out quickly, but that doesn’t seem to take the enjoyment out of doing it. More puzzles are in the offing.

We also bought him a puzzle cube, where you put treats in and the dog rolls it around the floor while treats fall out at random. He didn’t seem to like it that much, even with enticing liver treats in it. We gave it to him one day, by the next day, it disappeared. Where did he roll it to? We’ve checked every nook and cranny upstairs, including behind the couch. Nothing. It’s bright yellow, how can we miss it? Unless he figured out a way to get it through his dog door and hide it in the snow, we’re stumped.

Then there are the chewy busy bone-like things we got him. Everyone said their dog loved them, chewed them right up. Merlin has carried his around for weeks, burying it in a dog bed one minute, the couch cushions the next. But not chewing it. He never was much of a chewer but surely something beef tasting could be a little bit tempting?

So we are on to teaching an old(er) dog new tricks. Merlin is not impressed with learning to shake. I guess he figures Corgis are short enough without giving up a paw. We’re reinforcing sit, down, stay, and don’t rip the treat out of my hand. He is a bit of a Land Shark. Twice a day there is a rousing game of fetch. Rousing for us, since we have to go get the ball when he decides he’s done and it’s our turn. We are also trying car rides that don’t end at the vet, or groomer. A wandering ride that sometimes ends up at McDonalds for a doggie cheeseburger.

It’s been a tough adjustment for all of us. Merlin is settling in as only dog and all the spoiling that entails. Every time we go out somewhere and come back in the house later, Merlin is at the top of the stairs to greet us, perhaps waiting a few beats longer in anticipation of his big brother returning.