Soft Mouth and Manners
I love the "soft-mouth" breeds. All those dogs bred to retrieve and carry birds back to the hunter who shot them. Labs, Setters, Pointers,
and of course the Brittany. These dogs seem to have inborn manners too, or perhaps I have been lucky and only met those who have.
But I know my Aussie and my Border Collie were not of that ilk.
They had to be taught to take a treat gently. My Aussie frequently sent me home with fingers dripping blood after a session on the agility course. You see I carried pieces of garlic roast beef as training treats rolled up in my fist. Running just ahead of her I held my fist down where her nose registered what was in there. Once in a while, especially when training weave poles, I was too slow and Heather's jaws were too close. Of course she was bred to heel drive.
Hannah, my Brittany, is such a gentle dog. She almost hesitates to accept a treat and when she does take it, she does so slowly and with her lips only--now and then her tongue, but never her teeth.
She has lovely manners too and I am wondering if they go together,
the gentleness and the manners. If either of the cats, Ginger or Susie, go to Hannah's bowl to steal a snack, Hannah steps back and lets the cat eat her fill. Now I can understand why she might be that way with Ginger. Ginger has all her weapons and she has used them on Hannah's nose a few times when all Hannah was doing was checking
the cleanliness of Ginger's backside. So Hannah has a reason to be wary of Ginger. Susie, however, has always been an indoor cat (with the exception of a few escapades) and has nice soft paws. Also I have never seen Susie lash out at anyone including Hannah (who frequently
attempts to improve Susie's hygiene).
This morning proved Hannah's savoir faire when Susie decided Hannah's crate looked more comfortable than her own. It is also considerably larger. When Hannah left her crate to meander over to the water bowl for a drink, Susie slipped inside. She walked around a bit, then lay down in the center and began kneading the pad and purring.
Hannah returned to find her private space occupied. She lay down in front, resting her chin on the rim. She whined very softly. Susie, being a cat, paid no head to her canine companion's discomfort. After a bit, Hannah rose and walked over to where Susie's crate stood -door open
and empty. Hannah stuck her head inside. That was all that would fit.
There she lay until at last, Susie yawned, stretched, and sautered out of the dog crate.
Quickly Hannah reclaimed her bed. With no apparent grudge against the offending cat.
and of course the Brittany. These dogs seem to have inborn manners too, or perhaps I have been lucky and only met those who have.
But I know my Aussie and my Border Collie were not of that ilk.
They had to be taught to take a treat gently. My Aussie frequently sent me home with fingers dripping blood after a session on the agility course. You see I carried pieces of garlic roast beef as training treats rolled up in my fist. Running just ahead of her I held my fist down where her nose registered what was in there. Once in a while, especially when training weave poles, I was too slow and Heather's jaws were too close. Of course she was bred to heel drive.
Hannah, my Brittany, is such a gentle dog. She almost hesitates to accept a treat and when she does take it, she does so slowly and with her lips only--now and then her tongue, but never her teeth.
She has lovely manners too and I am wondering if they go together,
the gentleness and the manners. If either of the cats, Ginger or Susie, go to Hannah's bowl to steal a snack, Hannah steps back and lets the cat eat her fill. Now I can understand why she might be that way with Ginger. Ginger has all her weapons and she has used them on Hannah's nose a few times when all Hannah was doing was checking
the cleanliness of Ginger's backside. So Hannah has a reason to be wary of Ginger. Susie, however, has always been an indoor cat (with the exception of a few escapades) and has nice soft paws. Also I have never seen Susie lash out at anyone including Hannah (who frequently
attempts to improve Susie's hygiene).
This morning proved Hannah's savoir faire when Susie decided Hannah's crate looked more comfortable than her own. It is also considerably larger. When Hannah left her crate to meander over to the water bowl for a drink, Susie slipped inside. She walked around a bit, then lay down in the center and began kneading the pad and purring.
Hannah returned to find her private space occupied. She lay down in front, resting her chin on the rim. She whined very softly. Susie, being a cat, paid no head to her canine companion's discomfort. After a bit, Hannah rose and walked over to where Susie's crate stood -door open
and empty. Hannah stuck her head inside. That was all that would fit.
There she lay until at last, Susie yawned, stretched, and sautered out of the dog crate.
Quickly Hannah reclaimed her bed. With no apparent grudge against the offending cat.
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