The Dog Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [36]
Obviously, Nelly is getting plenty of exercise, but it appears that she has crossed the line from being fit to becoming fanatical. The morning ritual also signals to me that Nelly views herself as the one calling the shots — the minute you wake up, she is forcing you to pay attention to her. She is young, but you don’t want to run the risk of her developing into a ball bully. Since you know that the tennis ball motivates Nelly, use it to your advantage in establishing yourself firmly as leader. For starters, put all tennis balls and other similar temptations away at bedtime. Some people stash all balls and Frisbees outside and don’t allow any indoor ball play at all.
Bring out the tennis ball only when you decide it is time to play fetch. With each throw, reinforce Nelly’s manners by having her sit and stay for a few seconds or more before you toss the ball again. Use this time to teach Nelly the drop it and leave it cues. If she doesn’t want to drop or leave the ball, bring out a second ball and offer to throw it if she drops the first one. Work on your recall as well, so that she is paying attention to you and not just the ball during your play sessions.
On those occasions when there are dogs at the dog park who aren’t chasing balls, see if you can work on Nelly’s dog-to-dog social skills by stashing her toys in a bag out of sight temporarily and encouraging her to play some doggy games instead. Or, invite a couple of friends with friendly canines over to your backyard or basement for playtime without any toys, especially balls.
PAW PRINTS
The name of the dog on the Cracker Jack box is Bingo. The dog in the famous RCA ad is Nipper. The dog who accompanies Buster Brown is named Tige; the pair were well-known cartoon characters before their images were purchased by the shoe company.
I applaud you for knowing when enough is enough and ending the ball-throwing game. Dogs can run themselves into exhaustion by not knowing when to quit, especially in hot weather. Please be sure to provide Nelly with plenty of water afterward. I recommend always keeping a water bottle and a plastic bowl in the car in case the water at the dog park is dirty or your dog doesn’t realize she is thirsty until you are back at the car.
Salad Days
Q My dog will occasionally eat grass and then vomit a few moments later. He seems fine and I don’t detect any health problem. What’s the deal with dogs and grass? I thought they were meat eaters.
A Dogs like a little variety in their diet and know the value of adding some greens to the menu. They are actually omnivores, which means they eat meat and vegetation — not to mention kibble from any available cat bowl (feline food always seems to have a more beckoning aroma), table scraps in your kitchen garbage can (if you forget to put on the lid), and all sorts of other things at which humans turn up their noses.
Some dogs frequently eat grass and don’t throw up afterward. They may simply like the taste and feel the need to add some roughage to their regular meals. This pertains more to those dogs who actually chew and swallow the grass blades thoroughly. Grass can also act as a healthful aid for dogs with upset stomachs who need to purge their systems. In that case, you might notice that they seem to almost gobble the grass without really chewing the blades. The prickly little stalks irritate their stomach linings and cause them