Kong King

Just now I went and cut a carrot in half for the Captain. One half I left plain, but the other got shoved into a Kong after some peanut butter and a scrap of corned beef.

This is a great low-cost snax for him, because carrots (his favorite of all the foods) are dirt cheap and it takes lots of delicate nibbling to get the whole piece out of a Kong.

Cut the carrot off flush with the opening of the Kong, and you're looking at at least two hours of canine hilarity, as long as the squelching noises don't bug you too much.

So then I made the Captain sit at my feet. On a whim I held two snax in front of him, carrot in left hand, Kong in right. I said "Which one?"

The Captain got this really serious expression and looked back and forth, back and forth from one hand to the other. Then he very deliberately turned his head to face the Kong, looked up at me, and briskly nodded his head up and down.

I repeated the question, offering him the choice between the snax. He glanced at the carrot, turned his full attention to the Kong, made eye contact with me, and nodded firmly.

As of this writing, he is making sweet sweet love to the Kong while stretched out on my bed, the very picture of puppy contentment. (I am so glad I put down an old bedsheet before I let him have peanut butter.)

But holy Jesus, this animal is smart. I taught him to nod when asked a question (any question; the rising note at the end is the key), and suddenly he's using it to communicate preferences.