My Favorite Dog Tails

Dog of Summer

Spring (nearly Summer) has revitalized Chief. He has woken from his winter slumber, and he wants to play. Play tug. Play fetch. Play with Bella. Play with balls. Play in the grass. He'll be outside for hours at a time. If he's not playing, he's sitting on the deck watching the yard, apparently thinking about what he could and will be playing next. Occasionally, he'll come inside and drop down on the couch in total exhaustion. That is until the next sound or smell wafts in from outside, and then he's off again.  He reminds me of boys in summer, who won't come inside and can't play outside long enough.

Common Things can Poison Your Dog

We learned this the hard way this past week with Chief.  Most people know that chocolate is poisonous to dogs. Lately, awareness has grown that grapes and raisins are toxic to dogs (even a few).  Also, onions. Of course, this is an addition to poisonous plants and flowers.

But sugarfree gum and candy can also be poisonous to dogs.  The artificial sweetener xylitol is toxic to dogs.

Chief got a pack of gum off the table that belonged to my son. He ate about 12 pieces - wrapper and packaging included. Fortunately, I found the evidence of the crime shortly after he did it. At first I was worried about what all that gum would do to his digestive track, but I quickly learned in my Google searching that the xylitol was the more urgent danger.

I called the vet who confirmed that the Orbit gum he ate had the sweetener. But since at that time, I didn't know if Bella, Chief, or both ate the gum, I had to bring them both in.

Vomiting was induced and Chief named the culprit.  His blood was checked for any signs of problems, and fortunately, none were found. I believe quick action combined with reduced absorption because of the wrappers, prevented any problems. The vet did say that he had consumed enough to cause severe damage to his organs.

Of course, at this point, Bella was mad that she had to throw up, and it was all Chief's fault. <smile>

For links to lists of substances poisonous to dogs, go here.

How We Named Bella and Chief

I think I've said before that both Bella and Chief were rescue dogs.  They both had names before we got them, but they didn't yet answer to those names.

Bella was originally named Kira. But everyone said it differently. No one but me understood had to spell it. Because of her color, we tossed around Penny for a while, but that brought to mind a different breed of dog, like a terrier. Then because of her Italian Hound breed, the name Bella was suggested. Of course, "bella" means "beauty" or "beautiful".  Perfect.  Our little Italian beauty!

Chief had a name before we had the dog. Prior to losing our old dog, Barney, we knew we would get another.  We also planned that the dog would be male. Since my family is filled with die-hard University of Illinois "Illini" fans who always revered Chief Illiniwek, I suggested that Chief would be a great name. Fortunately, when we met Chief, originally called Cooper, the name fit him.  This decision was recently proven to be a good one.  A neighbor met Chief a few weeks ago and said it was a great name. As soon as I told him the meaning by behind it, he unzipped his fleece jacket with a big smile to show off his orange t-shirt, complete with the Chief Illini symbol.  It may not be considered politically correct, but an Illini would understand!

Barney, on the other hand, was a name that simply came to mind. No hidden meaning, or even creative thought (much to my chagrin), just a gut-felt, instinctive decision.  One that fit for 16 years.

If your dog's name has special meaning, please share it in the comments.

Chief Tricks Bella

Lately, Chief has developed a new "game".  He waits by the back door, acting like he needs to go out. When I open the door for him, Bella rushes out, and Chief calmly walks away as if to say, "Ha, got rid of her for a while."  Maybe when the cold air hits him in the nose (literally these days - brrr), he decides it's not worth it. Or maybe he really is toying with Bella. You decide!

Canine Sleeping Styles

Have you ever read those studies that say your sleeping style describes your personality?  I'm not sure if it's true of humans, but observing Bella and Chief, I'd certainly say their sleeping style reflects their personalities.

Chief is friendly, laid back, but somewhat independent.  Bella is loving, with tendencies to be emotional and nervous. 

Chief sprawls when he sleeps. Stretched out, taking up as much room on the couch as his 37 pounds can claim.  Bella, on the other hand, sleeps in a tight little ball, curled up into herself. The expression "tightly wound" seems figuratively and literally appropriate for our little Bella girl.  Or maybe it's a gender thing, and Chief is a slob and Bella is neat and dainty.

Could be, but I think it just reflects their inner dog ... much to my amusement that, at least dogs, can't hide their true nature and personality.

Canine Depth Perception Problem?

Chief has a particular quirk. Actually, more than one, but this one seems unusual. He really doesn't like to go down stairs if it's dark or poorly lighted. At night, he won't go down the deck stairs to do his "business" before bed. He just won't go. He's compensated with an iron bladder, apparently. In the morning, especially in the dark depths of winter, he hesitates. Even if I can see, I must turn the light on for him before he'll go down. Bella has no such problem. Neither did Barney.   I read this article about the eye sight of dogs (from the University of Illinois - which is not only my Alma Mater, but in my hometown - which boasts an excellent vet med program). It seems human depth perception is generally better than that of dogs and that wide-set eyes in dogs reduces their depth perception. Chief doesn't appear to have abnormally wide set eyes, although they are wider than Bella's eyes, but I guess this is just a feature that is special to him.

Any one else have this situation with their furry companion?

Beds are Cool

On occasion, Chief sleeps with one of the boys. (Bella, won't sit still; she seems to have to sleep in the same room as me.) So often when we bring him up to bed to sleep in his kennel in the master bedroom, he tries to sneak into one of the boys rooms. He just detours on the way, jumps on the bed, and makes himself comfy. Sometimes he gets to stay; often he has to leave. Usually because the boy in question has not cleaned his room and has left too many tempting items on the floor for Chief to chew and ruin during the night. But you have to love his initiative and determination to sleep in a nice, cushy bed!

Chief's Magic Paw

As I've said before, Chief loves food. He's very inventive in his method of getting food off the table. We call it his magic paw. At first he used it to pull the tablecloth so we could reach any plates, dishes, or dropped food on the table. So no more tablecloth. Now, he uses it to just grab and pull any cradles of leftover dinner delicacies. He has amazing dexterity with his paw and even extracts his claws like fingers for added grip or length. It's almost like he has a cat paw. With enough time and patience, he can get almost anything off the table.

When Chief Met Bella

We had Bella for about 24 hours when we went to a rescue "foster" house to meet Chief.  We had seen him on a rescue site, then he "disappeared" from the site, but I contacted them about a dog. They called me back about a puppy that had just been returned from an adoption because the owner was not at home much. As good rescues will do, they said to bring our other dog. So we loaded tiny, baby Bella to meet "Cooper".

When we got there, Chief (whom they called Cooper), looked huge in comparison to Bella. She showed no interest in him.  Instead, she spotted a toy and took it. Chief followed, wanting to play. She wanted nothing to do with him. He did the classic dog position that says lets play (hind quarters in the air, front quarters on the ground, head low, goofy smile). She answered by grabbing the toy and hiding under a chair.

He then started acting goofy, jumping, yipping, barking. He once backed up right into a china hutch. Wow, did he look like the dumbest dog ever. Meanwhile, she continued her hard-to-get act. It was kind of like watching my fourth grader flirt at the school picnic. Finally, the foster mom took the dogs in the backyard. That seemed to neutralize the behavior, and they started to play. When they came back inside, they started to fight. Never having had two dogs before, I was rather surprised how vigorously they went after each other. I reassured - many times - that this was normal.

So home Chief came with us. I think Bella has forgiven us, but she can get jealous of attention paid to Chief. And while they still fight, they also play, kiss, and lick each other all the time. I think they'd be pretty lost without each other.

Canine Intelligence

In an earlier post, I talked briefly about Chief's ability to "strategize".  Even though most dog experts will tell you that dogs cannot plot strategy, I disagree.  Today, Chief demonstrated another example of plotting, evaluating, and logical thinking. He tried to bring a very long branch inside.  Not surprisingly, he held it easily in his mouth, but that meant that the branch was held side-to-side and too wide to go through the door. So he tried it a slightly different way. And again. Systematically adjusting the branch until on his 6th try, he had it held in a less comfortable position but more front and back.  (Now I suppose the real test will be what he does the NEXT time he tries to come in with a long branch.)  Unfortunately, Chief's brilliance was not long rewarded. After letting him enjoy his victory for a few minutes, the branch was disposed of back outside.

Another aspect of canine intelligence that I find interesting is that the ability to train and be obedient is considered the mark of intelligence. As a result, labs, retrievers, and sheparding dogs earn high marks.  I don't doubt the shepards.  But I read once that hounds are actually quite intelligent although not recognized as such because of their stubborness, and therefore, difficulty to train. But hounds are given the task to find and flush out prey so the hunter can come in at the end, make the kill, and get the glory.  Retrievers just go where the hunter points them.  While part beagle and lab, Chief demonstrates many hound characteristics. He is very stubborn. He's not really all that interested in obedience unless it serves him - usually in the form of food. (This is why, I have made sure he knows I am the Alpha "dog" in the family. He listens to me better.) But he consistently shows logical thinking - certainly a sign of independent intelligence.

Now, sometimes, I admit he acts dumb. Like he still hasn't figured out how to jump over or push through the baby gates. But then Chief is also a bit lazy.  He may simply not be properly motivated. A few sizzling tidbits of meat on the other side of that gate may be the motivation he needs. I'd try it, but then my gates may be rendered useless.

You be the judge and let me know what you think of Chief's doggy IQ. But I stand by the claim that Chief's often "Aw shucks" manner is a cunning shield for a thinking canine brain.