PLAYTIME & RESOURCE GUARDING OBSERVATION

The girls are a pretty even match right now, but Fizz will have to use her speed soon as Luna is already double her weight.

We've had a lot of rain over the last few days, but Fizz doesn't mind.

LUNA, she is not loving it. I am actually going to get her a couple of sweaters and hoodies tomorrow.  She will play in the rain some, and it is good exposure to get her used to wearing things so when she gets her first training cape it is not an unfamiliar sensation, but it is also because she gets the Chihuahua shakes right now if it's wet or cold and I want to make her more comfortable.


I'm watching them play this morning and something interesting in the second part of this video is I noticed some minor resource guarding behavior and stopped filming to go interrupt. No idea what she thought was valuable - I couldn't find anything up there, but the body language changes are very distinct and readable which is a good thing.

Resource guarding happens when a dog finds something innately valuable and defends it again other dogs/people/pets.  Some dogs have no desire to guard anything and others seem to guard the very air itself.  This is not a behavior you want to let develop as it can lead to reactivity and behavioral issues that quickly spiral out of control if not addressed.

She didn't do anything wrong here, and it is certainly nothing to worry about but it is interesting from a canine communication standpoint.  She is very clear in her language to Fizz that she doesn't want to play - no matter how much Fizz tries to instigate play.

Can you tell what I am talking about?

Can you identify when she is playing and when she is defending whatever it was up there?

Do you know what signs to watch for in your own dogs play and how and when to interrupt?

SHARING IS CARING

Sharing a cow ear with her Scruffy sister - FizzGig. Fizz is almost 4 months old to Luna's 9wks but they are pretty close already.

(Cows ears are just that, dried cow ears - tattoos and all sometimes. I prefer them to pigs ears as they are much cleaner and less greasy, do not tend to upset their tummy, are generally larger and more robust, don't have swelling or blockages concerns like rawhides and for pups with baby teeth, can be a great teething aid)

It's important for Luna to learn to be around dogs of all sizes as there are two Pugs with her family, so learning polite manners with little ones is crucial.  And that applies to the pug boys as well so this is something we will be working on during her monthly visits to her family.

She doesn't need much help here though, she has been very good so far.

My very dear friend Rebecca has graciously allowed me to bring her to visit her babies this weekend for some small dog playtime.

Rebecca has a Boston Terrier, a French Bulldog and a Frenchton...the cuteness overload from photos this weekend will be insane!