A dog's mind is a world of mystery. Lately, Frollie has decided that she too will sit with me, taking over Simon's place. Oh dear. One cause for this dilemma is that if I am not sitting there, Simon goes for the sofa and the blanket. When he does that Frollie goes for the chair. If she is there when I sit down, she of course stays, sitting stretched out beside me just like Simon.
I love Frollie too, and I don't want to hurt her feelings either. (I can't believe I just said that; Frollie has created an emotional dilemma for us.). Once I encouraged her to get down, she knew why, and would not look at me the rest of the evening, or come back, even though I called her.
One night Simon and I were settled in when Frollie came over and started moving around as though she wanted to jump up with us. The only possibility was the arm of the chair, but she is too big and there is no way to it. I have learned that I can hurt her feelings, whatever that might mean in the real world, and that is something I would avoid at all costs, if I could.
On the other side of the chair, to speak metaphorically for a moment, we were watching a dog special segment on the evening news, which Frollie enjoys watching too. She barks at the dogs. Simon and Dexter seem to have no idea that anything out of the ordinary is happening. Schuster, however, hero-worships both Frollie and Dexter, also watches TV and he joined Frollie in the barking and dancing. Frollie turned around and delivered what sounded like a vicious blow. Schuster was on the floor, screaming, really, with feet waving wildly in the air. We disciplined Frollie though we couldn't see that she had hurt him. Still, from the human perspective, I felt sorry for Schuster, who just wanted to join in the fun with his buddy, apparently. What went on in his mind, I have no idea. He certainly recovered quickly, helped by Frollie's incessant grooming of his face. I'm glad people do not have to make up that way, though we might be better off if we did.
For the hero and ardent disciple aspect of the Frollie/Schuster relationship, on the last walk, Frollie who was off lead crossed Silver Creek; Schuster who has a long lead followed into the water. Frollie has long, Jack Russell legs; Schuster has very short dachshund legs. He was up to his ears in the water in seconds, but swimming valiantly after her. He is an excellent swimmer, not in the least afraid of the water; fortunately, Frollie decided (who knows why really) to return to our side, and Schuster did a wonderful wide turn around and followed her back. All you can see is his head above water and not a bit of panic in his eyes.
At home Schuster always defers to Frollie. The three "original" dogs will be lined up in front of me, waiting for a treat. Schuster will hang back, apparently not anxious to awaken Frollie's wrath. And yet, when I fix their suppers, I heat the Alpo I stir into the dry food on a paper plate. Once I have divided the Alpo, I hold the plate down for Frollie and Schuster to lick clean. Frollie pushes across the plate to start on Schuster's side in order to get more, but Schuster pushes in too and licks away as well. Frollie tolerates his presence, perhaps because she knows I will intervene if she growls, but who knows? They clean the plate together.
When mealtime actually arrives, usually not quickly enough for Schuster, all four dogs behave surprisingly well. I line the four bowls up on the kitchen counter: Schuster's first, then Dexter's, Frollie's, and finally Simon's. With dog food I am of course a gourmet cook. I begin with a tasty base, an expensive Purina dry food, Purina's ONE "healthy weight formula," whose #1 ingredient, the bag assures me, is "real turkey"! Yum! Next, depending on the ambiance, I either add 29 little square morsels of Purina's "Moist an Meaty" to each bowl (of course I count them!) or go right to the Purina Alpo. Tonight I skipped the M & M and went to the Alpo, especially since Schuster was bouncing off my leg in eager anticipation of his food. The other three dogs control themselves with remarkable patience.
I heat the "Chop House," "cooked in savory juices," "Filet Mignon Flavor[ed]" Alpo in the microwave on the afore-mentioned paper plate; then I divide the heated Alpo into each bowl, sometimes while singing an aria from The Marriage of Figaro or La Traviata to entertain them while they wait. Precisely. Once carefully and properly divided, I stir, first, Schuster's bowl of food and begin the proper placement on the floor around me. Each has a special place on the floor, but all three are close together in the kitchen. Schuster first, Dexter second, Frollie third. All three are perfectly well-mannered, no one inter fears with his or her neighbor.
Simon, however, is a special case. He stays on the sofa under his blanket until I bring his bowl of food into the living room and put it on the floor in front of my chair. I have no idea how that custom arose but it did and no one seems to mind. Once everyone is finished eating, and licking his or her neighbor's empty bowl, they make a high-powered run to the kitchen door and out into the night or evening or whatever. Thus we have the daily doggie eating frenzy, chaos controlled, mischief managed.
While they are all out, I hasten to pick up Frollie's and Dexter's bowls lest Simon find them and try to drive them enthusiastically around the kitchen floor. Very enthusiastically, noisily even. Behavior modification; I learn from experience. Sometimes!
Frollie definitely believes she is the Alpha dog, but neither Simon nor Dexter pay much attention to that, and she never tries to muscle them about. After all, she has Schuster.
Perhaps the most interesting element in the situation is the way the human social world relates to the dog social world. As with humans, dogs have their own social context and behavior patterns, one that becomes precarious and fraught with danger and risk if we do not understand our dogs' behavior when we are out walking and suddenly meet other dogs.
A quick example: Simon always seems aggressive when he encounters other dogs, barking and pulling on the lead, yet really, all he ever seems to want to do is go nose to nose with the new dog, and of course, then stick his nose up the new dog's butt. Is that, I wonder, scents and scent ability?
Sorry. Time to lay down the stylus!