Is that my dog??

I'm starting to worry....my (normally naughty) dog was unusually pleasant to be around this evening.  If you have met my mutt, you know he's a bit high-strung.  Think whining, jumping, yelping, when he sees a person, animals, or leaf blowing in the wind.  While I do love him, he often gets on my nerves.  I can usually be heard coaxing him with "calm down, baby". 

But tonight, I actually enjoyed my pup.  I was first suspicious when he slept outside the back kitchen door while we ate dinner.  His typical behavior would be whining for table scraps and pawing the door incesantly until we get sick of it and slam the door shut to eat in silence.

Next, I set out to the front yard to weed and water.  I took Harley out on his leash because Mark was mowing in the back.  I tied him up to the front porch...in this kind of situation, he usually whines and cries and gets himself all tangled up like a kitten with a ball of yarn.  To my absolute delight, he layed down in the front yard and contently watched me.  So, I started to think....is he sick?? 

He started to get restless towards the end of my yardwork, so I decided to reward my sweet puppy with a walk.  Keep in mind, when Mark and I usually go for a walk, he says "Do we have to take Harley?"  You see, Harley loves, loves, LOVES to go for walks.  At the mere mention of a w-a-l-k, he immediately begins to cry, wag his tail, and spin in circles all at once.  Then, once we get down the driveway he proceeds to drag me to every mailbox, bush, and light pole so he can sniff, sniff, sniff and pee on it.  I have tried time and time again to channel my inner dog whisperer (where's Ceaser when you need him?) and yank on the leash with authority as I "sshhhhht" him. 

Here's the shocker -- tonight he actually WALKED CALMLY BESIDE ME!!!  We walked the first half mile or so, then I decided I would jog back the half mile to the house.  When I usually start to jog, Harley takes off at a dead run, putting my life in danger as he races down the street with me in tow behind him.  Yet tonight, he ran right next to me, matching my pace perfectly.  When we got home, he happily followed me into the backyard and retrieved his favorite blue squeaky ball for a game of fetch.  Such a sweet, sweet, boy!
I don't know what is going on, but I'm starting to like it!

Handsome boy!