#probably-cocker-spaniels

Merlin, buddy, it's been two years today. We still miss you so much.

Yvaine’s Portable Furniture: Look at that flexion! And extension!

Merlin’s Primary Human: You know he’s not a horse, right?

Yvaine’s Portable Furniture: Well, perhaps a very small one.

Head tilt. Mlem. Floof. Spaniel Eyes.

On this day in 2011 we drove four hours to meet a dog that sounded like a good buddy for our senior cocker. She was described as 3 1/2 years old, playful, friendly, and had been dumped at a Humane Society for developing severe allergies.

[Yvaine meeting Galahad, Aug 20th 2011]

We were looking for a dog to do a "job" (aside from housepet): to be company for Galahad, our first cocker, and to wake him up and get him excited a few times a day. His deafness had advanced such that he just snoozed all day--not because he was lethargic, but because nothing woke him up. My bouncy sweet girl! She was so good at her "job," until we lost Galahad in 2015. (We adopted Merlin a few months later, in September 2015.)

[Yvaine on the trip home]

I got a real shock, when I went to look back at first-day photos of Yvaine. I had noticed that something looks odd about those early photos (besides all that darker red), but hadn't taken a good look. She's not *IN* there. There's no Yvaine there. My bright little munchkin, my personal Embodiment of Eternal Optimism, my little strongly opinionated mommydog, she's not there in those early photos.

[Yvaine napping with Galahad; if she heard something and woke, she would bounce enough to wake him, too]

Now she's confident, outgoing, secure, and bossy. What a delight she has been, and I hope will continue to be for many more years.

Somethin’ tells me Yv’s into somethin’ good (Somethin’ tells me Yv’s into somethin’) Good, oh yeah, somethin’ good

I love the way Yvaine pulls her nose back to closely examine whatever she’s chewing. Mostly it’s cardboard, but occasionally I don’t want to know.

Oh. Crud.

That’s a really-not-a-wart next to Merlin’s tail nub, and just about the same size. (of course, his tail nub is criminally short)

Dogs don’t understand “don’t do that.” They don’t understand “stop barking” or “the tractor is going to be out there working all day, cut it out.”

They *do* understand “do this instead.”

The Spaniels know “go lay down,” which is originally useful while eating. If they back off from the interesting thing, lay down and ignore it, then afterwards they get a treat–or even get to lick the plate, very special. Obviously this took a while to learn, but it’s very useful.

It’s also useful when the Spaniels are getting worked up about something. The more they do it, the easier it gets. I originally kept Merlin on a leash to remind him to stay in “go lay down” (and not keep jumping up to go yell at the intruders outside).

He has improved very much, and with occasional reminders (and occasional rewards) Merlin has successfully gone hours without reacting to the tractors bushhogging or other noisy work being done right outside.