Oh, you gotta buy him a football. Surely they have dog safe ones. And, watch some NFL with him. See what happens.
A quick update on Bob.
I decided that I needed to kill him, but it didn’t quite work out. Bob Not Quite Dead
If you don’t want to watch the video - I’m teaching him “play dead” but he keeps jumping the gun on me.
Cutie-pie.
Are we gonna move on to higher functions? Hide and seek. How is his 'fetch" doing?
Actually, not good. Oh he fetches, but “drop it” and “come” are gibberish to him at the dog park. I can take his ball from him no problem, but first I have to coax him to me somehow.
Full disclosure - I was trying to teach him “roll over” but this was as far as he got, so I changed it to “play dead.”
He looks really good. Quick to follow commands. You lucked out finding him.
I only had one dog who would roll over on command. A very fat pug. Her problem was stopping. Get him on a downward grade piece of ground. Have him go down on his side. He might roll on over and get the idea. Just a WAG.
My mid-daughter was trying to teach her sheltie to run the obstacle courses. She couldn’t get the dog to over the hurdle things. She put a door down on it’s edge in her hall way. The dog couldn’t go under or around. He learned the trick and was completing the course in their yard. But, turns out he still wanted go around and under the hurdle. That’s exactly what he did at the event. Came in last. She never went again.
I thought it was good think 'outside the box’training, though. YMMV.
Oh my gosh, Bob is a sweet thing.
What a good boy!
I had a dog that knew “play dead”. I used “bang” and pointed a finger “gun” at her. It made people laugh at parties. It also works really well at the vet for exams. 
It’s been a while. So here’s my six month update on being a Bob owner.
Things are going really great. Bob is really dialed in and he knows his routines and is calming down in general. He’s a great dog. I get big brown-eyed eye-contact, folded back ears and waggy tails at every turn. He kisses on command and he’s a fantastic couch dog.
Since October the only things that have really changed is the fact that I haven’t been able to walk him as often as I used to due to weather and work hours, but I do make sure we have of plenty of play time in the back yard. This dog absolutely loves the snow. I’ve got him sixty feet worth of tie-out line now so he has lots of room for sprinting and bunny hopping through the snow. We finally found his red rubber biscuit, which had been buried since the first snow and he was overjoyed. He was fine chasing his dildo* but it just wasn’t the same.
- my sister gave him this chew toy for Christmas that, I swear, looks just like a studded dildo. I didn’t ask any questions.
So anyway, his walking skills have deteriorated by now. It’s not like he’s dragging me down the sidewalk, but he just won’t heel without constant correction and it’s frustrating. He has been getting everything else fine but he’s just not figuring this one out.
The other thing is the canine-feline relations. I’m not going to lie and say everything is rainbows and lollipops but I have sat on the couch with my cat in my lap while petting my dog. This was a goal of mine that I’m not fully ticking off as the situation included Mort hissing and growling like he was in a trap and Bob prancing and whining and trying to paw Mort. I’m able to keep him from doing that, but I have encouraged much more interaction over the last month and it’s coming along fine.
I started by bring Bob down to see Mort pretty much every day. That would usually start with Bob voluntarily lying down at the basement door. But then I would have to hold him by the leash to keep him from sprinting down the stairs. At that point I would usually lead Bob to Mort who would either run away or hide, but eventually I got them to a point where I could get Mort to sit still while Bob sniffed him. Mort didn’t like it one little bit, but the ice was cracking. Since then we’ve graduated to allowing Bob to walk down the stairs without me restraining him to go see Mort. Then it’s usually about the same thing - Mort sitting still and growling while Bob sniffs him. I think the break through was when I allowed a confrontation where Mort gave Bob a few good whacks across the nose. Now Bob has learned. He does not just go at Mort, he gives him space, but he still wants to play with him. It’s when Mort bolts that Bob loses his cool and wants to chase him, but he’s definitely not looking to do any harm.
I leave the cat door to the basement open full time now and Mort has made a few excursions upstairs with Bob lurking about. The best was one evening when I was snoozing on the couch and Bob was napping on my bed. I felt a tickle at my face and awoke to find Mort lying on my chest like he used to do. I swear I almost burst into tears. But then Bob heard me talking to Mort and came out and ruined the whole thing.
So. Things are great. Bob is awesome - and I now have the ID tag to prove it.
Here are a few pictures.
This is the bed that Bob got for Christmas: Bob’s Bed
This is Mort enjoying the bed that Bob got for Christmas: Mort
This is Bob’s new ID tag: Bob’s awesome!
Awesome!
I’ve missed the Bob thread.
Bob looks great.
I’ve only just noticed this entertaining thread and your well-written narrative, Jack Batty. In the 20-30 minutes it took to go over everything, I kind of forgot where I was, which is always indicative of quality. As far as stories go, it’s got a little of everything. (What, do you teach literature or something? :)) Congratulations on your life-changing decision. It sounds like you’re doing each other a lot of good.
Bob has the face of a good person!
I don’t know how I ever missed this thread. But I just read it from start to finish, and must confess that I am madly in love with Bob.
I’m somewhat relieved that Mort is at least occasionally coming upstairs.
In that first picture of Bob, I can easily imagine Jack Batty thinking, “Hmm, what am I getting myself into?” Interesting cast of characters, in my head, anyway.
I agree the whole thread is well written. Of course Bob steals the show.
I kinda LOVE Bob.
(:))
I was just wondering about Bob the other day. Thanks for the update! He’s as endearing as ever. Everybody loves Bob!
Re: the leash training. IME, the only way to leash train is to do it often, as in at least once a day, every day. It’s great that you and Bob get to play regularly, and of course, with your work hours and the weather, that’s all you can realistically do right now. Maybe you could try again in spring.
I found the best way to leash train my dogs via tips from a trainer: hold the leash handle in your right hand with the leash running behind you to Bob’s collar on your left. Stop frequently (every 8-10 steps or so at first) so Bob stops, too. Young dogs, like small kids, are highly distractible, and this method keeps Bob focused on you. Eventually he’ll be attuned to you at all times–well, unless a squirrel darts in front of him. Then walksies will be a pleasure for both of you.
Robert T. Dog, renaissance canine. He’s like the James Franco of dogs.
Male Model
What a dog!!
Skritches to Bob.
Tell us!
That slays me. My husband and I used to have a dog we loved beyond all reason, and would have daily solemn and sincere conversations about the consistency and volume of her poop.