I think that spending two whole nights in our bed during our “kennel” holiday has gone to Beanie’s head. She’s always been a little too full of herself, but lately this has gone into overdrive and her respect for us, if she ever had any(!), has hit rock bottom.
For some reason Beanie feels she has a right to directly examine our food, even as it’s going into our mouths..
I can’t think what we could be doing to support this inflated sense of Beagle self…
But I dare say Caesar Milan would have a thing or two to say about it
Some of the things she does are downright annoying. Cups or glasses cannot be left unguarded for more than second; last Saturday as I prepared for a “parkrun” I poured myself a glass of orange juice, put it on the coffee table and walked a couple of meters away to grab my running watch from my desk. The whole thing took less than five seconds and yet in that time Beanie – who had been curled up apparently asleep – had clambered onto the table and begun merrily lapping up my pre-race drink.
Then there’s the “blankie” routine. Beanie likes to be covered when she’s napping and her signal for a blankie is a pawing motion. This is accompanied by a stare so intense & hypnotic that it’s like she’s using a Beagle version of The Force on you: “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for. Cover me with a blankie then you can go about your business”. If a blanket is not immediately forthcoming then vocal protests ensue, and these aren’t the loud woofing variety – they’re an understated whiny whimper issued at regular intervals. It’s like a dripping tap – no matter how engrossed you are in work you have to have to respond eventually. And when you do respond, she tests the quality of the covering by circling and tossing her head. If any part of her head is uncovered during this test, she dumps the blanket on the floor like a spoiled child having a tantrum, and the whole process has to begin again.
To be fair though Biggles is trying it on too; it’s just that his behavior is easier to take. Sit down with a TV dinner next to him and he’ll twist over onto his back, exposing his tummy and all his wares. The tastier the food, the more alluring will be his pose, and while he doesn’t get any food for this display, he does get cuddles which for the Bigglet is a reward in itself.
It’s pretty clear that a mild dose of “nothing in life is free” is called for, but do we have the mental fortitude to administer it?
Paul, I think this is typical beagle behaviour! Our Cassie is food thief if she gets the chance – she stole a whole slice of pork pie off the dining room table at Christmas and a whole piece of cheese before that! She’ll eat absolutely anything and we have to remember to put all food up at a height she can’t reach. JB isn’t quite so bold but if anything’s within easy reach, he’s just as bad! Thank goodness they only have short legs – if they could reach the work surfaces in the kitchen we’d be in real trouble!!! They don’t steal from each other though, so at least we don’t get any falling out. The picture of Biggles cuddling with Susan is also typical – both ours are real cuddle bums and who can stay angry with a beagle wanting a cuddle?!!!
Yep I think you’re right. However, Beanie’s not generally a cuddle-bum unless you’ve got food debris on your clothing, but lately she’s been very open to getting kisses and rubs on her cheeks (the front ones, not the rear ones!). It turns out that’s a doggy appeasement gesture performed by lower pack members on the leader. Oh dear…!