Fully aware of my highly limited ball skills I promise that I have made no active effort to teach Alby how to throw and yet it has come to be a skill which he excels in. These days he has moved on from the sitting chuck to the double throw (which can involve holding two small things in one hand and lobbing them across the room or an item in each hand for synchronised hurling) and the running throw (suggesting a future profession in the noble sport of cricket if only he can learn to let go of the ball more than a foot away from the intended recipient's face).
Clearly watching me throw toys about for Percy day in and day out has rubbed off on Alby. And such learning through the medium of bulldog has recently entered new territory as Alby takes on the role of family dog walker.
The other day I found him hanging around the hallway pulling on Percy’s lead. As it turns out I was mistaken in thinking that it was time for lunch, it was in fact time to take Percy for a walk…
The love doesn’t stop there. Albert’s favourite toy at the moment is his pull train which he drags all around the house (much as I drag a reluctant Percy out the front door). Yesterday we caught him trying to pull Percy along by the collar. Sadly for Trouble Monkey junior, despite the wrist creases highlighting his masculinity, he hasn’t yet got the strength to move the brick wall that is Percy. So, we attached the lead and collar to my brother’s old toy dog and Alby spent a good 15 minutes taking Jessie for a walk around the house. Unfortunately I only thought to get the camera at the very end, but he was still going relatively strong.
Apparently not only have I inadvertently taught Alby to throw and dog walk but also to talk to himself – all the time he was moving he was nattering away happy as anything. I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on myself as he is clearer vulnerable at the moment and I'm feeling a little guilty about my subconscious having taken advantage of this!
No comments:
Post a Comment