Day 4 - Trip to the park

Dan was on puppy duty last night so that I could try and get some sleep... but I did wake at 3am to some whining coming from the front room, it didn't last long though.

By the time I got up Merlin had eaten breakfast and played the "hunt the treat game" which involves Dan placing 5 ramekins on the floor of the puppy pen and placing a treat in one and Merlin has to use his nose to sniff it out.  He was very good at it and I witnessed him playing the game again this evening which small pieces of cheese and he was brilliant, his nose was doing all the work. Cesar Millan is to thank for this game as it gets the nose and the brain working.

After lunch we decided to take a walk around the park. As it is getting cold now, Merlin's new fleecy coat got it's debut. He wasn't too sure of it at first but soon realised that it was there to stay, at least for the next hour or so.

He didn't whine as much as he had on previous car journeys which was a bonus and a big step forward. When we got to the park, he was immediately sniffing the air and taking in all the new sights and sounds and was mesmerised by the swans and ducks which were on the lake. It wasn't long before he was spotted by a family who had a little girl and they all stopped to make a fuss of him. Merlin was very well behaved and let them stroke him before returning his affection with a few small licks.  There were other people walking their dogs in the park and each time he heard barking he would become very alert.  It was spitting with rain but this did not phase our little pup who was nice and warm and dry in his new coat.

Upon arriving home, Merlin walked down the hallway and into his puppy pen on the lead which is a brilliant step forward and shows us that he is already adjusting well. Here's to the next two weeks after which we can start taking Merlin on proper walks and that will drain most of his energy.

This evening we have been doing more training with him and the "sit" command is coming along nicely. Although his attention span is currently only 10 minutes long so there is only so much we can do within that time but perseverance is the key and Dan and I working together as a team is really paying off.

Here's to another successful day tomorrow