Tales of a Unusual Little Canine (with Video) – Dogster
Hello, I’m Dr. Karyn. Learn my introduction to be taught extra about me and my 5 humorous canines, Poppy, Bailey, Kodah, Ned, and Fred.
That is Fred.
Fred is a bit bit damaged…or so we frequently say!
Fred joined our busy family in 2023, when he was nearly 4 months previous, from a litter associated to Ned – they’re cousins! From day 1, this lovely duo began doing every thing collectively – consuming, sleeping, stepping into mischief… Nevertheless it was clear that, regardless of his tiny dimension, Ned was the chief, and Fred was comfortable to observe. A lot in order that when all consideration focuses on Fred, he appears to enter a state of delicate panic, virtually turning himself inside-out, seemingly uncertain of what to do below the stress of scrutiny.
In different methods, he’s additionally the braver of the 2, fearlessly launching himself onto and off of chairs, tables, and backyard beds, the place Ned will solely enterprise with assistance from a footstool or step. And regardless of being the stockier of the pair, he’s much less possessive of meals, and when singled out to be provided a deal with, he reverts to his awkward self, making his humorous little squeaky sounds and avoiding eye contact.
Seconds later, he’s bounding round, tail wagging and taking part in. One second he loves the eye, however when it’s simply on him, he turns into painfully shy.
His Cheeky Grin and Expressive Ears
I nearly forgot the very best half! Fred is a smiler!
Have you ever seen such a smiling canine? I’m not speaking in regards to the broad grin of a panting canine, I’m speaking in regards to the comfortable, anxious, lip curled, tooth bared grimace that may typically be mistaken for a snarl. It’s one thing that many canines, together with Fred, will do once they’re feeling a mix of happiness, pleasure, uncertainty, and anxiousness.
He additionally has essentially the most cell, expressive ears. If Fred is awake, his ears are twice as awake, continuously transferring up and down, aspect to aspect, seeming to shift from excessive alert, to content material, to excited, to apprehensive, and again to alert, all within the area of about 30 seconds. And that is nearly fixed. No marvel he sleeps a lot!
His Hoarding
One other of Fred’s eccentricities is his toy-hoarding conduct. His absolute favourite toy is his little stuffed donut, which I’ve wanted to restore on various events. Though we have now picked up a couple of extra of those little donuts, the OG is outwardly the very best.
He’s additionally an enormous fan of the varied flavor-infused chew toys we have now amassed, and I’ve seen him handle to leap up onto our couch with two clamped tightly between his tiny little jaws! He’s like a magpie or bowerbird, accumulating all these shiny toys and storing them in his mattress. If poor Kodah, our German Malinois, dares contact one, he will get a correct telling off, and if Ned decides he’d wish to chew on a tasty bone, Fred sits there crying piteously. By no means thoughts that there are 5 others he may have; apparently he wants all of them!
His Cuddle Paralysis
When Fred isn’t handing over awkward somersaults, we’re often greeted with enthusiasm, wagging tail, and excited yelps, as he reaches to be picked up. As soon as cradled within the security of our arms, nonetheless, he enters paralyzed mode. For some inexplicable purpose, selecting Fred up turns him right into a flaccid lump, unable to make eye contact, transfer, or eat. When returned to the bottom or couch, he’s miraculously reanimated into his unusual, comfortable little self.
His Guilt
Like many Chihuahuas, Fred has been fairly troublesome to bathroom practice. It is a new drawback for me, as I’ve by no means had any problem getting different canines to bathroom exterior. The issue, I imagine, is that with bigger canines, you invariably see them attempt to poop or pee indoors, and might cease them and take them exterior right away. When your canine is smaller than a loaf of bread, you typically don’t notice there’s a ‘scenario’ till effectively after the actual fact, at which level, it’s too late to deal with it. The result’s a canine that will get a number of constructive reinforcement for going exterior, and a impartial response to toileting inside – exterior is nice, inside is okay.
Over time, Fred has began to choose up on our frustration after we discover poop behind the lounge, below our mattress, or beside my desk (which, in his protection, is the place the cat litter packing containers are, so…). Though we don’t shout at him, he has began to make the hyperlink between us discovering a poop and never being overly pleased with him, so at any time when he sees us uncover an ill-placed nugget, the ears return, eyes go broad, and he skulks off trying very sorry for himself. Sadly, being that ‘guilt’ is a human assemble, it doesn’t imply that Fred understands that our annoyance could possibly be prevented by his improved rest room etiquette, it simply appears that method.
Luckily, he’s beginning to reply higher to our cheers and reward when he goes exterior (though I’m fairly positive our neighbors assume we’re weirdos), and his valuable little unhappy face is one you can by no means be mad at for very lengthy!
His Tantrums
A little bit of an extension of his plaintive crying when Ned has one in all his toys, when Fred doesn’t get his method, out comes his handiest weapon: the tantrum. Digging, crying, yelping, squeaking, rolling, and begging. It’s lovely. So clearly, it often will get him what he needs, typically a chunk of my meals, which in flip reinforces his dramatic efficiency. And you recognize what? I don’t thoughts one bit!
Damaged, However Excellent
Fred is unquestionably the strangest little canine I’ve ever recognized. His social awkwardness, anxious smile, hoarding tendencies, cuddle paralysis, and responsible little face mix to create the weirdest, cutest, and ideal, damaged little canine, and we’d not change him for the world.
And simply once I thought I used to be completed…he begins licking the partitions. Oh expensive!
