New Years Eve at Filmzilla

   So, the computers were #@%!!$'d up at Filmzilla on new years eve day; Beth, Woden and I come in to find a huge backlog of crap to do, while taking care of a pretty large stream of customers. Woden was not having the best time, as he was not getting any attention from us. He usually can get a few games slipped in hre and there, but this new years eve, he was striking out.
   So, when he started whining at after an hour at work, I took a few minutes to figure out that he needed top go outside, not that he was asking for attention. He is taking a steroid prescription, so he has to go to the bathroom 2 to 3 times as much, in much greater quantities. so, I take him outside, and he has some pretty specific ideas about where he wants to go. We take a route we seldom take, backwards. At the farthest point on this route from our store, Woden tries with vigor to lead me off into new, unexplored areas. We are about as far as I want to take him, so I do not let him go that way; so he lies down on the sidewalk, and looks at me as though daring me to do something about it.
   Beth has told me that he will do this to her, and that she has a hard time getting him to get up and follow her. I have had just a little trouble with it. He will lie down on me, especially after he has lightly but deliberately "pulled" in a direction other than where we are going. But so long as I keep a higher pitched voice, and kind of encourage him to come along, he always gets up and comes with me. I usually give his spoke-collar a light pull, but not any kind of hard pressure.
  I have tried to encourage Woden to communicate his preferences about where he goes on his walks (as opposed to where we go when he accompanies me somewhere - then, he has to pretty much follow along). I wonder sometimes if I am making him harder for Beth to control because of this - like he expects to get his way too much. But so much of the time, the only reason we are out walking, is the dog. So, I figure, if the walk is for him, he should go where he wants, if he has a preference and its not dangerous.
   He is getting really good at listening and giving his attention out in the world. I can "sit" and "stay" him out in the world off his leash, and he will stay put till I tell him to go. He will stop and stay when he is far away, but he does not really like to sit on command when he and i are far from each other, and he does not like to lay down when told out in the world; and he pretty much refuses to roll over outside, unless he knows I have a treat for him.
  As we walked back from where he had tried to "balk", he took a colossal dump. I had him "stay" at the corner of the last block on our walk, and went 3/4 of the block away and called him; he scared he heck out of a guy leaving his house as he ran by him full tilt, with his lead dragging behind him. The rain had started during the last block, and Woden was damp as we came back inside the store. He smelled like earth, rain, cold and dog; I like to give him hugs and smell him sometimes. He is a month past two years, and he still has a bit of puppy-smell to him.