I had trouble with this post. Maybe it’s because I’m just so close to making that two-year goal (eleven days) or maybe it’s because most of our dog walking takes place at night which to me equates to BORING.
It’s Tasty Tuesday, but I got nothing for Tasty Tuesday with the exception of adding on to last week’s post about Banana Chips.
There’s a bonus to using Banana Chips for training your dog. If you get hungry on the trail you have something to eat.
Which is what I did last night. 🙂
But siriusly, you can’t make a post about eating Banana Chips. (Okay, I lied, some of you actually could write a post about eating Banana Chips.)
I turned to my photos for inspiration and found some photos I took a few weeks ago.
Back Story
When I was kid we had a friend around the corner with a dog named Patrick. I’m not exactly sure what kind of dog Patrick was, but I do know one thing.
Patrick was a great dog for kids, because he was easy-going, friendly and walked well on a leash.
But there was another reason we really loved Patrick.
Patrick LOVED the flashlight!
We had so much fun walking that dog at night using the flashlight, as he would chase it this way and that and we would roar with laughter.
Flash Forward
It’s not quite as funny as an adult when you have a dog obsessed with reflections.
It doesn’t matter how big, or how small. If it’s on the ceiling, the floor or the wall.
If I could just get a little higher, I know I could catch that. Oh look. A cobweb.
Somehow Delilah always sees it and once she does, it’s game on.
In this particular photo I had set my laptop down on the floor and the sun was hitting the screen just right, throwing a reflection up on the ceiling.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a fun game if there wasn’t some noise involved. So she barks and runs back and forth trying to figure out how to get the elusive reflection.
And once you remove it….
Where’d it go? I know it was there, or was that just a cobweb?
She waits, patiently watching for it to appear again.
When reflections happen frequently she becomes really obsessed.
There was actually a period of time when we couldn’t eat in the dining room because the light reflecting on the silverware would make her bark and jump around.
Delilah barking and jumping around made hubby yell, “Delilah! Lay down!”
Hubby yelling “Delilah! Lay down!” made my inner bitch roll her eyes and say, “Stab him with something.”
Thank goodness I rarely listen to my inner bitch.
Since we’ve always liked watching TV while we’re eating, we just sit on the couch.
It’s easier.
Do you have a dog obsessed with anything? How do you manage it?
Have you voted for the Dogs of Blogville yet? Remember you can vote once every 24-hour period. That 24-hour period is based upon when you voted last.
I’m lucky. Honey is far less neurotic than I am and I haven’t discovered any obsessions yet. Unless consummate good cheer and friendliness to people counts as an obsession. 🙂
Can I suggest a way to make your night walks more interesting? Try going out in the woods or a field without using your flashlight.
When I first started camping, I never walked at night without using a flashlight. But eventually I realized my night vision was pretty good if I didn’t mess it up with light. And, once you get over the early fear, walking around in the dark is exhilarating.
It’s also interesting because the dogs have much better night vision than we do. And it’s fun to see what catches their notice.
We play chase the red light which makes us very dizzy 🙂 xxx
Gwynn has an unhealthy obsession with noises at the front door. We’re working on it, but it’s tough. It involves a lot of whimpering and barking at the slightest possibility that ‘something’ (be it squirrel, car, person, etc) was ‘near’ our front yard. It’s kind of irritating, very loud, and makes Gwynn super anxious.
Walking in the evening at this time of year is tough. I got gwynn a light-up collar, and still go into the woods for my walks, because the trail is relatively smooth and clear of debris, and letting him run around in the woods (what’s that weird white light bobbing around out there? will-o-the-wisp? no… dog) is entertaining regardless of the light out. Plus side – fewer cyclists and fewer people who have dog issues (or unfriendly dogs onleash) go into the park when it’s dark out. In winter the good parks near me really do become dog-territory.
Too funny and you are a brave woman to set your computer on the floor with dogs!!
Had to laugh at your hubby comment, had a great picture in my mind of a woman coming over the table with something sharp 😉
hmmm obsession, well does garbage picking count ? 😉
Storm will bark at the doorbell even if it is on tv. Obsessed I say. Love the pictures of Delilah.
SQUIRRELS! Hunting rocks. Have a terrific Tuesday.
Best wishes Molly
Once a blimp flew over my house and scared the heck out of me. Since then, I have had sky-phobia. I check the sky constantly for blimps, planes, helicopters, birds, leaves falling from trees, and clouds that move. That would be bad enough, but sometimes when I look up, I see things that also scare me like street signs, light poles (especially the ones with solar panels), and telephone wires. I am fun and well-adjusted.
Love and licks,
Cupcake
Your inner thoughts are extremely amusing!
Blueberry is a little freaked about shadows and reflections – so my floor length mirror is now turned the other way. Problem solved. Seriously, otherwise she wouldn’t go to sleep at night cause that darn spotted dog kept staring at her. lol
Isn’t having a dog better than watching TV? 😉 Delilah is so funny!
An obsession with reflections must be fun to watch! I’d be wearing outfits with sequins all the time 🙂 My dogs are a little too jaded for that…another reason to start fostering again, to get some dogs with wacky issues 🙂
A whole post about eating banana chips? Is that a challenge? 😉
Shiva doesn’t really have any obsessions unless you count food. Once she smells it, she won’t give up until it is in her mouth. It can be one tiny crumb that fell under the couch, she will dig and dig and dig until the floor is all torn up just to get at it. It’s funny at first but annoying when I have to stop what I am doing to move an entire book shelf just so she can snatch a piece of kibble that bounced out of her Kong.
Does Delilah like playing with a laser pointer? Maybe that’s one way you could turn her obsession into motivation for training?
There was actually a period of time when we couldn’t eat in the dining room because the light reflecting on the silverware would make her bark and jump around….
Good g-d do I love that Delilah!!!!
Sadie’s the same way with the laser pointer and bubbles. Both had to be retired because she would get too crazy.
A Jack Russell obsessed about something? Never…
Malarky got obsessed with 1 of those big plastic indestructa-balls that I had kept in the backyard. As soon as she got out the door, she would push it around and bark insanely at it. Getting her away from it was near impossible and she wouldn’t do anything else while in the yard. It got to where it was wearing down the outside of her upper canine teeth from her pushing it. I took it away. I felt bad because she liked it so much, but her obsession just wasn’t healthy.
I had to think about this, because my boy, he had many obsessions, but my current collies? No, not really. Its been a year since I lost my boy, Lad. And I miss all his quirky behaviors and obsessions. I miss him barking at the kids outside. Barking at people in other cars, to get them to look at him. I miss his grabbing his food bowl and standing next to me holding it, while I ate my dinner. I miss his obsession with squirrels. I even miss his nose prints on my picture window.
So while I get how her obsession can drive you nuts, because Lad’s use to do the same to me, one day you might give anything to see her chasing reflections again. Sorry, this got me thinking, and missing, my best friend.
Please don’t ever apologize to me for missing your best friend. I know some day I will wish she was here barking at a watch reflection and MOST days I really do treasure everything she does. 🙂 I’m sorry about your BF.
Any excuse to eat inthe living room seems fair to me.
We had to juggle a bit–eating at the table until Silas stopped trying to help himself to our plates, then eating on the sofa once he learned to chew the chair legs while we ate. Thank goodness that’s all behind us.