Linus the Peaceful

Like his namesake, Linus is a true pacifist. Linus Pauling won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work against above-ground nuclear testing. While our puppy won't be getting any such accolades for at least five or six years (after all, he must first learn SIT before NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT) he's showing some strong signs of being the most submissive dog of the litter.

Linus has taken to the leash quite well. He scratched at his collar a bit last night, but barely notices it today. I attached the leash to him for a bit to let him drag it around. This morning I can have him on leash and he'll meander very closely to me. When I stop, he comes to me and sits down at my feet. Odd behavior, but I praise him for it. He's alert to loud noises and unfortunately fears neighborhood cats. However, I can see that his area of distraction is quite small at the moment. Passing cars mean little to him. A dog more than 15 yards away doesn't exist. His world is truly minute, and we're trying to make sure that we have a central part in his focus.

He woke up several times to whine last night. We expected that. However, poor Megan sleeps closer to him so she took him out a few times. I woke up at one point -- around 2 a.m. I think -- and she told me that she hadn't had any sleep yet. I empathized briefly and went back to dreamland. To help make things fair, though, I woke up at 3:30 or so and took the dog out. Then I slept next to him on the floor so he'd feel a bit less lonely. That worked for a couple of hours. At 6:30 this morning we began the routine that we'll keep for the next three or four weeks.

First, I will take him out for a brief walk. Second, feed and water the guy. Third, play. Fourth, into the crate. Fifth... shoot. I forgot what's next. It's all written down in our handy guidebook, Mother Knows Best by Carol Lea Benjamin. It's from the '80s so it's a hoot and a holler.

But I was talking about his submissive nature, wasn't I. Linus appears to be quite comfortable on his back. I try to get on my back and let him play around as alpha for a bit. It's a behavior we noticed on his farm. His brother was constantly the top dog during roughhousing, and Linus was satisfied entertaining the notion. Right now Linus gives a super-wide berth to Trout. (Seldom is he far away enough, in her opinion.)

I can't help but wonder how that will change when his attention span develops to an area greater in size than our living room. But until then, we're capitalizing on his limited perceptions by making sure he knows that the center of the pack is us, and he has a very special place in it.