Finally learning...

It feels like we've spent so much time teaching Orent basic skills, like to wait to eat until we say "ok", and to get into the car when we say "car". One skill it seemed like he'd never master is to chill out in public. Whether it was an activist meeting or a trip to a friendly restaurant, Orent was "Mister Pop-Up-For-Attention". It's like he learned that if he didn't settle down, we'd spend a lot of time trying to get him to chill out and lay down.

Well, this weekend, we tried something different. First, we took a road trip all the way to Delaware (why Delaware, you ask? why not Delaware?!?), and decided to eat at Iron Hill Brewery. The wait staff and manager were really friendly about Orent, and sat us in a fairly quiet part of the restaurant, with not a lot of people around, so we could try our new idea - ignore the dog until he learns to settle down, and when he lays down on his own, give him a treat. And... it worked! He was fairly wander-y for the first 30 mins of dinner, but we kept him on a short leash and eventually he got bored trying to lick the floor or follow the wait staff from table to table. He settled down and... much to our amazement... fell asleep!

We were so pleased! Also, the food was good and the beer was better. Hooray exciting trip.

But it wasn't over! We wanted to go to the "museum of the road" or something like that in New Castle, but when we arrived, it turned out to be nothing more than a Harley Davidson. However, it did mean we got to have an impromptu photo shoot. Too bad there were no side cars for Orent to jump in, and no doggy goggles for him to model...

We finished the road trip with an adventure to the Petco in Wilmington, to give Orent a bath at the self-serve tub & hose. Sadly, the grooming area was closed (Orent was not so sad!) so we bought him an "indestructible" toy instead. 

Wanna bet on how long until the toy is destroyed?

PS - Sorry it's been so long since we've written a blog. Life with Orent has become pleasantly routine... but who knows, maybe March will present lots of interesting challenges to blog about. If you want to stay up to date with the week-to-week of Orent's life, like him on Facebook (the link is to your right).