Theo, too, likes to sit on steps with his backside on one and his paws on the step below; he grunts and sighs and will purr like a cat when being stroked. He will pick up a cushion and take it where he wants to lie; he lies on his back with his legs in the air but with one front paw in his mouth (sucking his thumb!).
He is very quick to learn - often teaching himself : to open doors; to use his paw to move things within reach of his mouth; to know when (and when not) to expect a tidbit - he knows, for example that he won't get any chocolate; when we take him out he heads for the gate or the car depending on what we are wearing; [I hate to admit this] he knows the 'Archers' music means dinner is on the way; he knows switching lights off means bedtime and the rattle of keys means an outing. Quite often we go for an out-and-back walk through the woods: after saying 'turn again Whittington' a couple of times we only have to say 'Whittington' and he turns round and hares back.
When he was young, he used to pick fruit off the trees but that has stopped. He has a very strong hunting instinct - but is the first dog we've had who isn't interested in toys. He likes a game of 'tug' or being chased but that's all. He loves to tear an old cloth to pieces.
