You've Come A Long Way Baby

Eli has opened up quite a bit this week.  He finally found a toy he adores.  It's a Kong squeaky toy, with a head of a teddy bear and a body of a squid.  He can't get enough of it.  His inmate trainer will throw it and Eli will get it, and drop it at his feet.  He sometimes will take it to his bed and chew on it, just to hear it squeak.  If you adopt Eli, you may want to hide all squeaky toys in the morning, or that may be your new wake-up call. 

Eli's trainer has incorporated a few commands with his new toy.  If Eli has the toy in his mouth, his trainer can say "drop it", and he will drop it on the floor.  Eli loves to please.

Eli has also learned "paws up".  His inmate trainer will point to a surface and say "paws up" and Eli will put his front paws on it.  He's a little nervous doing it on hard surfaces, but he keeps improving every day.

Now that Eli loves toys, they now play a new game.  Eli is told to "stay", either standing, sitting or the down position, and is told "leave it".  His trainer throws the toy. Eli will stay there until the trainer says "release".  Then he runs and gets the toy and brings it back..  The focus in Eli's eyes is priceless.  His inmate trainer is so proud of his little buddy Eli.  He has come a long way in 8 weeks.  Eli will make his new family very happy for years to come!