Thanks for the input. I know it's not a vision problem, since he can see a tiny bug on the wall from clear across the room, and never fails to warn me if he sees something outside that normally isn't there. His hearing??? - well he definitely has selective hearing, but he uses that to ignore me when he doesn't want to do what I tell him - like calling him to come in the house. I call, and he keeps right on doing what he was doing, and even walks in the opposite direction, just to be belligerent! Anyone else in the family calls him to come in, and he obeys immediately! So I tend to think that it's not a hearing issue either.

Maybe it is a form of Alzheimers setting in. Then again - it might just be that he wants to be a PITA. Hey - I love that boy - issues and all!