Neither of my dogs are self-entertaining. I’m not sure how much of that is a breed trait thing or how much is just how they have been raised. I really prefer an interactive dog. I don’t get the enjoyment of standing around and watching your dog do something without you. To each their own, of course, but I don’t get wanting to have a dog that doesn't give a shit if you are there or not. Because of that, I have never really encouraged my dogs to go off and figure out their own games. I play *with* them. Bella, for sure, needs some human interaction. She doesn't see toys as something to bother with alone. She won’t even tug with Kate unless I am holding the middle of the rope. Even then, she isn't really tugging with Kate. Kate is playing a parasitic role in *our* game of tug.
Kate, though, she doesn't really need human interaction. She doesn't really play with other dogs in a typical sense. At daycare last week there was a bulldog in with them. For some reason, bulldogs really seem to love pushing jolly balls around. Love it! I don’t know why that would be a breed thing, but it seems to be. Kate had the bestest time ever following that ball-pushing dog around….all…..day. She was so damn happy. It was hysterical. She doesn't want to take the ball. Doesn't get in the way. Actually makes a concerted effort to stay out of his way. Just runs alongside, barking, tail going like mad. It’s like it doesn't occur to her to do that herself. Or that wouldn't be fun. Or something. But, getting others too is a riot.
The pouring thing, how do your dogs react to this? I put some juice in a bottle I was re-using. I wasn’t sure that the seal would work and wanted to check before I let it leak all over my car. Bella, being the nosy britches she is, was standing in front of me. I tipped the bottle 90° and held it to see if it would leak. Bella blinked hard and backed up like she thought I was going to pour something on her. ‘Cause, you know, I do that all the time, just randomly pour stuff on her in the living room. *eye roll* Since the only time something is poured on her is during a bath and even then, never just over her head – how rude – I wondered where that reaction came from. I did the same thing to Kate and her reaction was to move toward the bottle like I was giving her something. Hmm. Tried on one of the other dogs in house, same reaction as Kate. A Bella phenomenon? Is she just paranoid?
Perhaps.
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