May 28, 2009

Oh what fun it is to run, Kenai 17 mo

Since Kenai is either feeling good enough or not good enough to be showing me his stubborn butt, I decided to think happier thoughts, Peter Pan style. Especially since he nailed me with one of those sasquatch paws during playtime, right in the face. Grrr.  

Durn it, we’ve had a “no feet” rule since day one, but he won’t completely give it up. Just when I think he’s stopped the swats…I get a black eye for my birthday. He’s not totally fun right now, so I’ll ruminate on what I love about him and dogs in general for awhile. How ’bout that?

One of the most endearing qualities of dogs is how simple and inexpensive it is to play with them. Unlike two legged kids, they don’t need a wii, a nintendo, a $300 iphone, or other pricy toys to be entertained. They don’t really need toys at all to have a good time.

Of course, my boy’s toy boxes (plural) are hardly bare pickings, despite their occasional boredom with what’s in it. But sticks, plastic bottles, rocks to chase, bugs to pounce on, butterflies, turtles to roll around, and other good doggie toys are free, and played with equally well as a $30 puzzle toy.

After many years with dogs that weren’t up to the heavier exercise and play as their healthier counterparts, I’ve found lots of little ways to keep them engaged and entertained without running about. I also discovered it isn’t the game half so much as the interaction with me that brought them happiness.

These fun things translate very well to healthy dogs too. Some dogs need a bit more than average attention to be mentally satisfied, and some just have a tendency to entertain themselves in unwanted ways. (Oh, dogs never do that…where’s my sock?)

One great game is “blankie monster”, well documented in past posts. If your dog has so much as a shred of chase instict in them, this will be a game they bug you mercilessly to play with them. The slipper snitch is also frequently mentioned here. Then there’s always the pillow smush.

Having fun with a dog doesn’t have to be a structured sort of game though. There’s opportunites all day long if you’re able to take longer getting dressed or cooking dinner. The “little moments” are sort of hit and run, they don’t last long, but ya go from one to the next while doing what ya need to do.

I’ll be changing clothes, and deposit my britches on Kenai’s head. He’ll flop around getting them off until it’s time to put them in the hamper. He’s not a clothing shredder, thankfully, so he’ll get “bra head” or “t-shirt head” teasing. Blankets, dirty sheets you’re taking off…you name it.

Blow a note on an empty soda bottle, and you’ll have a dog’s attention right away. Tease them with a little keep away, then toss the bottle on a slick surface so it makes itself hard to catch. BB will go bonkers spinning it and chasing. I don’t know how he doesn’t make himself sea-sick!

You can play fetch with dogs so inclined while sorting emails (or anything else). Toss the toy or a plastic bottle with beans inside and off they go. When they come back, play a bit of tuggie, do a bit of smoochie, or whatever your dog thinks is fun. Then toss it again.

Kenai gets to have a noisy ball in the kitchen while I cook. He can pounce and chase and get as rumpusy as he wants, too. Sometimes we play puppy soccer: he swats it my way, I tap it back his way, and he’ll give it the biggest widow rattling polar bear pounce you ever saw.

Every once in awhile, the ball gets to close to me (oh no!), and I steal it. I put it in the fridge, or set it in the potato basket. He does his very best to beg, bitch, and demand, then I’ll open the fridge for him to get his ball back. Sometimes I even bounce it off the lower cabinets.

Outside, sticks are free. BB loves to butt bump and tease you “ha ha I got it”, and he gets his game of “tickly puppy”, where I tap my fingers all over him like I’m trying to crawl them up his body to get the stick. Gives him a big case of the wiggles, funny boy.

All my dogs loved leaf piles. So they had one sacrifical pile to play in while I raked up the rest. Pounce in the pile, and grab the tushie when they weren’t looking. That sets off goober zoomies. Toss their ball in the pile and they root around flinging wet leaves in every direction. 

BB will even play pick up sticks, if he gets to run around with it for a moment or two. Then he’ll carry it right to the spot I want the pile, and drop it there. Then we go back to the rake, and he waits for another pop up stick to grab.

Taj was a rock chaser. He never brought them back, but there is no shortage of rocks to throw around here. So when he found one rock I’d thrown at the edge of the field, I’d toss another over yonder. He’d follow the sound and go find it, over and over.

Brazos initiated the “tushie game”. He would run right by you as fast as he could, and see can you get my tushie. As he started getting tired, the tushie game morphed into goose the bottoms and get a play bow, and if I jumped with both feet near him, there was a bigfoot bark and off he went in a zoomie.

Even dusting becomes a game. Tickle your nose, get too close and get a smoochie. Run to the toy box, bring a toy and have some tuggie, then dust some more. Whatever you are doing, dogs want to be a part of it. That’s how they teach us to stop the outta my way get-r-done.

I don’t pretend to be a fraction of the busy most people are, but a little ingenuity and willingness will pop ideas into your head for you and your dog. It’s really just slowing down long enough for a moment together.

***

Another thing I do when Kenai’s being fussy is go play with BB. Beebs is a breathing cartoon. Scooby got nothin’ on that boy! Like the other night, Beebs had finished his supper, and I was making mine. Mom was trying very hard to get his mouth wiped, gentle leader on, and out the door with him.

Not! I was making something to eat, so he was dancing around her slobber towel and zipping over this side of the island then that side. Mom was getting irritated, but it was so funny I couldn’t help myself. BB is persistence personified and wearing a fur coat!

After laughing at him and deliberately playing ring around the island a  few minutes, I shooed him over to the door, and grabbed a little bit of a treat. He held stock still, staring at that treat until he’d had his mouth wiped and gentle leader put on. Gettin in trouble successfully avoided.

And yesterday BB had a butterfly chase. He loves that. We get those blue ones where they’ve peed, and he gets all silly spun around chasing them. Best game in town. Of course with BB, any game is the best game in town while it’s being played. He’s not persnickity.

***

Saturday is my birthday, I’ll be 38 (how’d that happen?). My brother’s birthday is Friday. We’re 2 years and 1 day apart. Odd huh? Last year some friends took me out to my favorite high chinese place. I don’t go there often, just because it’s more expensive than take out/buffet spots. But I love that restaurant.

Tonight I get to go there with Mom and a black eye!  Then Saturday we’re going out again with my brother, and our friends Wade & Melba. None of them care much for Chinese, hence the two dinner birthday. That’s okay, I can suffer through a Brazillian steakhouse, don’t ya think?

Odder still, Kenai and BB are getting the presents: I ordered the crate and bones. Beebs will have some new digs, and Kenai can stop with the pitiful about the state of his bone box. Between the funnies surrounding the new crate, and the quiet from them chewing away…present enough.

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