Buddy has never had to struggle a day in his three-year old life, as best I can tell. Granted, he has only been with us now two of those three years, but I doubt his prior life as Beau Cartier, as painful as that name may have been to his masculinity, was so horrible either. Clearly, he was too feisty by nature for those pseudo-refined folks who so willingly gave him up to us two years ago, but I’m sure they treated him well. They told us that he was a gift to them from their daughter and that he was a $5,000 pure-bred toy poodle pup, but we suspect that there was some funny business somewhere in that history. The very first time we had him groomed, the groomer pointed out to us that his rather severe overbite would have disqualified him as a show dog right from the get-go. We had no plans to show him and that only served to give us a new nickname for him. We like to call him Topo Gigio in honor of the 1960’s Italian puppet mouse with the overbite. Buddy particularly looks the part when he is rolled over looking for a belly rub…his razor-sharp little teeth looking more friendly than when you feign a move towards his food bowl before he is finished with it.
Like many small dogs, Buddy does not lack for personality. That’s a polite way to say that he is both a lot of fun to play with (right up until he is done playing and wants no more of it) and a real pain in the ass at times. He is so small (7 pounds) that nothing he does is too threatening, but he does have a primordial snarl that will momentarily send shivers up your spine when he lunges at you with a fearlessness that is 99% for show and 1% sharp needle-like teeth and fiery orange eyes. He actually does get his blood up and that pumps up his eye color in a very noticeable way that I have become quite attuned to. I never ignore his state of mind and am always attentive in how and when I play with him. He needs rough play on a daily basis, but it you bother him when he doesn’t want to be bothered or take the rough play a bit too far, you know it immediately. Kim has made a point of being fearless with him when he gets too riled up. She will grab him and bring him right up to her face to discuss the situation with him. She literally takes no shit from him. I cannot say that I am that brave. And Buddy knows who he can mess with and who he cannot. He NEVER messes with Kim. I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that she is most often the one who feeds him, but I will bet that it has more to do with her fearlessness and insistence on his better behavior. I am simply more willing to let the primordial beast in him be what it needs to be. Lucky for me, Buddy does have an internal governor that keeps him from actually biting humans. He may put his mouth and teeth on you, but he will not engage those jaw muscles to clamp down and thereby pierce the skin. He can still draw blood, but only if you panic and pull your hand away and it gets caught on his little teeth.
Buddy has a basket of toys which live under the piano. At this point, what started as a few miscellaneous plush/squeaky toys is now an entire collection of various sizes. My favorite is a bison who is almost as big as he is and a near perfect match for his coloring. I suspect he likes to lord over the bison once in a while just to prove that he can handle bigger opponents. But his real favorite toys are a small purple ball, which fits neatly into his mouth (called by my granddaughters…”Stinky Purple Ball”, on account of the saliva buildup on the fur), a combination of the classic lamby and a small chipmunk, which are just right for playing fetch with, and a trio of small hedgehogs that are perfect for aerodynamic throwing. For pulling and tugging, a long silky fox with squeakers at both ends seems to also be popular. Like most dogs, Buddy can play tug-of-war or fetch pretty much forever. It’s an evolutionary instinct that tap into dogs’ predatory heritage and pack dynamics. The tugging comes from prey-killing behavior wherein wild canids shake and tear prey to incapacitate it. Tugging mimics this “kill shake” instinct and by tugging back the resistance creates a satisfying engagement for the dog. There is also the issue of strength testing and play fighting to establish dominance and social bonds in packs (I guess that would be our family pack of three). It’s a safe way to practice competitive skills and gives him a physical workout that releases energy. Also, dogs have strong bite drives and all that tugging provides oral/jaw stimulation that releases endorphins.
Fetching and retrieving is all about a dog’s chase instinct. Predators are hardwired to chase moving objects and dogs are natural predators. These primordial triggers a prey drive even in well-fed domestic dogs like Buddy. The movement alone activates their hunting circuits and puts them in hunter mode. Some breeds (retrievers, spaniels) were selectively bred to bring back game, but almost all dogs have a natural drive to carry objects and return to the pack or their handler. It actually provides mental stimulation and purpose to Buddy’s otherwise little life.
All this interactive play strengthens the human-dog relationship. He plays with Kim and almost any visitor who will engage (most do), but when he gets bored, he will always come to me and try and prompt me to play with him. Dogs are not so different from us humans…they enjoy the attention and praise from their master and this is what tends to reinforce cooperation and responsiveness on his part. Both tugging and fetching trigger a doggy dopamine release and the anticipation, chase, catch, and success creates a rewarding neurological loop that dogs find addictive…and oddly calming. The breed of dog makes some difference, especially in what sort of play they prefer. Terriers may prefer tugging while retrievers are decidedly more into fetch. Individual dog personalities also vary. Some dogs need to learn that these games are fun, but Buddy was already pretty well hardwired with this instinct when we got him at age one.
The older I get and the more dog-friendly I become, the more I appreciate playing with Buddy. I think he can outlast me, but I am also getting pretty patient with playing with him and appreciate the bonding time more and more. I may be becoming a dog person after all.