Learning About Cap (2)

It's been pouring here for hours. By 2pm, it was so dark outside that I had to turn on lights in the house to keep from tripping over the dogs.

Dyna and Mimi both are extremely upset by thunder. And rainstorms up here are always thunderstorms. They've also learned that big thunder is preceded by a big flash of lightening. You can see them duck and shiver and pant in anticipation of the boom to follow. Pottying outside? Forget that idea. They won't even step foot outside much less go pee.

One time I did an experiment with Mimi, though. It had stopped thundering and was just raining heavily. Still, she wouldn't go outside to potty. So I grabbed a tennis ball, one of the most treasured items in her universe, and tossed it way out in the the yard. Yep, you guessed it. She went streaking out into the yard to get the ball, brought it back to me wanting me to throw it again. In the pouring rain. She did end up pottying that time.

Cap has a similar weakness. I joke about the terriers being obsessive, and indeed they are. But Cap takes obsessive behaviors to new levels. I mentioned in the previous post how he prefers hard rubber toys. That's hardly the way to describe it.

He is almost never without a toy in his mouth. He becomes frantic if he can't find his current toy, racing around the house making this odd huffing noise until he finds it. Cap will literally bowl the terriers over in his frenzied search for his toy. He's got a great memory and checks first in the place he last left it.

Just to fuck with him, on a few occasions I picked the toy up before letting him out of his crate in the morning. I gave in pretty quickly because I thought he was going to have a breakdown.

He takes his toy outside too. I used to make him drop it at the door but that wasn't enough. I would have to bend over and pick it up and HIDE IT because if he thinks it is in my hand, he stands staring at me. And he won't simply leave it on the ground and go outside.

God forbid he drops his toy outside and comes in without it. When he realizes it isn't in the house (after the usual frantic search) he will throw himself at the door trying to get back to it.

Several of my terriers guard. Their obsessive behavior in this case consists of preventing any other creature from getting access to that resource. But they aren't really that wound up about that particular resource for what it is. It only represents something they have and the other terriers don't.

In contrast, Cap is happy to share his toy--all the better to play tug and chase games with the girls trying to get it back. He shows no guarding behavior at all.

I'm very lucky that he is quite happy to transfer his obsession to a succession of Cuz toys since none last more than a few weeks.

He has no preference for color but prefers smooth rubber and roundish shapes, which all the Cuz variations have in common. A squeaker is good but I've actually killed them long before he does because Cuz squeakers are LOUD and he will squeak the thing for HOURS!