The Learning Curve!

I see no reason to assume that dogs are any less of a learning curve than people. Each one of us humans is, after all,  a unique product of our upbringing and life experiences. It would seem totally logical that dogs are also unique, each also being the result of a myriad of influences.

In the very short time that Nigel has lived with us, we are inevitably making comparisons with Ray. This is probably a very natural thing to do but, apart from satisfying a curiosity factor, it serves little purpose as the two dogs had nothing in common except having an opportunity to share our home with us.

Nigel is physically a larger dog than Ray, but an overall “lighter” body structure. We knew he weighed around 20lbs less than Ray, but only just realized how he can use his longer back legs when necessary. This evening he was sleeping on his side on our living room carpet when he decided to stretch out. Just looking at him, I guessed that from the tip of his nose to his back claws he would have measured about 5ft.  Earlier I caught him standing on his back legs and looking out of our back door window. It was impressive! We also caught him reaching up to “kiss” Carol on her face. His front paws were placed on her shoulders with minimal effort. Of course we had to discourage that, but it was no less impressive and gives us some thoughts to ponder, such as “What else can he do which we should perhaps be prepared for?”

Nigel is very happy charging around the garden catching a toy and tossing it up in the air. Ray was not much of a game player, but would prefer to chill somewhere where he could supervise whatever we were doing in the garden. We have a quite busy garden but Nigel takes it all in his stride  (literally). I was in awe as I witnessed him charging across our patio, and then taking a flying leap over some plants in order to land on the grass area. He had his front and back legs stretched out to maximum, and I have to guess that he cleared around 8 to 10ft of patio, plant pots and shrubbery.

Life is certainly going to get more interesting around here.

13 thoughts on “The Learning Curve!”

  3. He’s lovely. It’s natural to make comparisons. Maya is 35kgs, and Maggie was 14kg, but it’s not just size. They are so very different, but lovely in their own way. We have been blessed with another good tempered dog but have already discovered that Maya isn’t as affectionate as Maggie, but she is loving…… on her terms. We have the added comparison of another GSD pup down the road. About a month younger than Maya and totally different . Other dog walker friends are comparing the two, and Maya is ahead. It’s not just the dog though, it’s the owners too. So looking forward to your posts and how Nigel is progressing.

    Liked by 2 people

  6. I can imagine very well that Nigel gets compared with Ray. Also, you are about to find out what worked with Ray but does not with Nigel or vice versa. It is a completely new and exciting experience in which you are all about to grow into. So, happy for you!

    Liked by 1 person

Any thoughts you would like to share?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.