I’d like to blog about Ben more often, but he’d rather we play ball.

He’s a funny guy, and he has his ways of holding my attention. Ben came from the Humane Society, and he’d already been adopted and then given up by one couple. Going into his second week at my house, we’ve had more “last straw” moments than I can count, but he’s grown on me, too.

From what I’m told, Ben’s first people weren’t able to do much with him, and he more or less had to train himself while growing from a puppy to a one-year-old dog. He did a fair job of it. He learned to sit, if not entirely on command, and he got a leg up on housetraining, despite never learning to lift a leg (he pees like a girl). Though he still has ‘accidents’ occasionally, he seems to know better; if I don’t stop him, he will quickly scarf up the evidence.

He’s learned a few other dog-style moves that most humans, myself included, would consider bad manners. He jumps onto people, counters, tables, or anything else in reach. When he gets overexcited, he jumps and bites. Playing ball excites him. He also finds scolding exciting, and ignoring him only gets him riled. Sitting, thank goodness, seems to calm him.

Ben can’t be left too far alone in the house, as he’s inclined to eat anything that fits in his mouth. If he has to chew it up to make it fit, so much the better. I bought him a bed to make his crate cozier, but he tried to eat it. It took him a while, but he’s discovered that we have a dispenser for one of his favorite treats in the bathroom. Unfortunately, the toilet paper holder is bolted to the wall, so I can’t move it out of reach. We have hidden away everything else that we imagine he might want to chew or eat, but he continues to surprise. Who knew that a dog would like to play with marbles, or pick all the charcoal out from behind the fireplace screen?

Me thinks I doth complain too much.

I should add that Ben loves to gives kisses. He retrieves instinctively, though he needs practice giving balls back. He comes when called by instinct; he wants to keep us close. He will still need training to learn to come even when some other instinct has him heading elsewhere, but he rewarded my trust during a hike along the Wapack Trail last weekend, up Burton Peak (that area is officially reopened, as is Monadnock, tho dogs aren’t allowed there). I let him off leash, kept him engaged with chatter and sticks, and he stayed close.

He’s pretty quiet, and he settles down nicely if he’s had enough exercise. It’s clear that he wants to be good, if only he can learn how. We’re looking into classes.

(FWIW, the title of this post is a conscious nod to two wonderful books: Ben and Me, by Robert Lawson, and of course, Marley & Me by John Grogan.)

Here’s Ben doing like he does:

And here he is, settling nicely: