Spike is a 2 year old Boston Terrier.
His owner is delighted with his playful nature, how he shops in his toy basket, selecting just the right item, discarding toys left and right. When he has excavated his squeaky squirrel or his mooing stuffed barn, he tosses it in the air, nabs it as it descends, then gives it a furious shake before settling down to pick at its loose threads.
Spike and his owner play lots of games together: Hide and Seek, Where’s the Ball?, and Chase the Rope are a few of their favorites.
But there is a game that Spike plays intently with his owner and she has had just about enough of this particular pastime.
Spike lurks.
Perhaps he thinks he has merely enhanced the Hide and Seek game. Or that his owner’s shriek of terror is really high-pitched praise for his cunning tactics. Whatever the case, Spike finds a place just barely large enough for his sleek little body, wedges himself in, and waits. As his owner passes by him, he ejects, launches, tackles her leg, and nips her ankle.
I admit, this behavior is not typical for a Boston. I would expect it from one of the herding breeds, like an Aussie or a Border Collie, but hey! Their owners don’t call them Boston Terrorists for nothing.
Spike’s owner had tried yelling at him, confining him to the kitchen, even walking around the house with him on a leash. No matter what she did, Spike would revert to his playful, nippy self.
So we decided to distract him so thoroughly that his pouncing game would become a mere glimmer in his short little past.
Spike’s owner searched the pet supply stores and found the perfect toy for Spike. Not only did this toy have treats inside it, to keep him mentally (and gastronomically) stimulated, but it also emitted an annoying, albeit intriguing sound. Because Spike loves sounds. AND he responds to sounds, perhaps even more so than the promise of a treat.
Filling the toy with his own dry kibble, plus a special biscuit or two,
and setting the toy loose in a room
was enough to keep Spike mesmerized for hours.
And to leave his owners legs alone.
Sometimes all it takes to get a dog to cease and desist is the right toy,
one that speaks (sorry!)
especially to him.
Comments