Delilah’s a lab which means she’s highly motivated by food. One might even say obsessed based upon her dedication to us whenever food is involved.
She’s also obsessed with reflections on the ceiling. As the sun makes its way across the sky, it shines in through various windows in our house. All of a sudden Delilah will start jumping around, looking up at the ceiling and barking. That’s when you know you left something out that is catching her eye.
In fact, we can’t eat at our dining room table because the light shines on the silverware creating a reflection and Delilah starts her antics. It’s a miserable meal time for everyone.
Yesterday I noticed she has a new obsession.
Chipmunks.
She literally sat at this door for hours, on the watch for chipmunks. I think her obsession for chipmunks actually outweighs her obsession for food.
How do I know?
I spent most of yesterday afternoon in the kitchen making jam, while Delilah sat at the door watching chipmunks. I actually peeled and quartered apples without having to tell her to back off.
At one point I walked over to her and she had a big drool hanging from her mouth.
Truth be told, this obsession has me a little worried. I can work around her food obsession, I can move things when the light reflects on them, but until we get rid of the chipmunks in our yard, there’s nothing I can do about this.
I’m wondering if anyone else has a dog with obsessions and what you do to manage that.
I will have you
Yes, I will have you
I will find a way and I will have you
Like a butterfly
A wild butterfly
I will collect you and capture you (Animotion – 1984)
Can’t think that chipmunks are such a bad obsession if they take Delilah’s mind off food – rather impressive!
Well, it keeps her mind busy so it can’t be all bad.
Haha-I see the slobber wrapped around her nose! I’m so proud:)
I don’t have any good suggestions for you. My dog is obsessed with eating rocks and I can’t seem to stop him from doing that.
She sure is focused on those chipmunks! The drool tells it all!
One day she will get that little sucker
I see new curtains in your future. 🙂
Chipmunks = Prey = As Yet Untried Food. Once Delilah catches one of the little critters, it won’t be a challenge any more. But the thought of it makes me cringe.
Word is that chipmunks taste like chicken.
Chipmunks and squirrels are Moses’ Achilles Heel for sure. Luckily in our suburbia, which only has small tress as a newer area, all we see in our yard is magpies and rabbits (which turn into obsessions for the cats to watch, but that’s fine – they don’t go outside anyway).
However, when there are squirrels and chipmunks on walks, Moses is interested. More interested in them than us. So I just do what I can to make me more interesting, forcing him to break his attention. We’ll change direction or pace usually. Other times, I’ll just make him to a sit-stay with the distraction nearby. He can watch, but he learns he can’t go investigate.
Ya know, I was going to say something else, but AnimalCouriers has a really good point ;).
My two are food-obsessed, especially Austin. He sounds much like Delilah. They do like to stay on guard for squirrels, cats, and rabbits (and children and adults and other dogs and…), but no chipmunks around here. If they spot any of the above, they will sing you the song of their people until the offender is out of sight. I wouldn’t say that they “obsess” over any of those things… they just go apeshit if they happen to see them through the window.
At my cousin Lena’s house I am obsessed with chippers, I just love them, at home it is the wabbits and squirrels. I can’t help myself, they make me go totally wild!
Blueberry has an obsession with the squirrel outside. It will often sun itself on top of the fence or run across the length of the fence. If I am baking inside, she’ll sit by the dog door so she can still see into the yard and yet keep an eye on me as well. I don’t mind. I just look at it as part of her routine – her job if you will. She also stares at herself in the mirror sometimes and I DO distract her from that because she doesn’t realize it is her image looking back at her and becomes worried that there is another dog in the house (she’ll sometimes tremble and won’t go to sleep because she is just eyeballing that “other” dog).
Think of Delilah’s chipmunk obsession as just her watching “Critter TV”. As long as she doesn’t try to blast through the glass door…
The chipmunk certainly kept her out of trouble. Teach has a squirrel obsession going on right now as well. Guess they are more active getting ready for winter. But man … makes for a noisy day with them running around outside. We have lots of whining and barking and pacing back and forth trying to convince us those monsters are going to take over our backyard if he doesn’t do something about it!
~Rebecca & Teach
Is she watching or waiting for them…if shes watching…hey…why not…shes not even jumping on the door…i agree…its harmless…for now. Lol
Haha – love the Animotion reference!
Our last dog was terribly obsessed with light reflections. I still find myself hunching over pots and pans and aluminum foil as I tear it off from the box, trying to keep it from reflecting on the ceiling. That drove her batty – barking, leaping, scratching. I never did cure her of it… but sadly we didn’t have her long enough to even really try. 🙁
Chipmunks sound like a GREAT obsession. Especially if she starts running after them and it keeps her waistline all dainty. My dogs chase the bunnies in the yard and it’s AWESOME.
Thank you for the ear worm. Not.
Wow! That is one obsessed doggie! Is she drooling from thinking of ….eating the chipmunk? Or was the drool from peripherally smelling the apples? Cupcake’s brain is too tiny to hang onto anything for any length of time. She’s obsession-proof..
I would think her obsession with the chipmonks takes her mind off food for a while – can’t be a bad thing! Go with it . . . she is keeping her mind sharp!
Years ago in Wisconsin a family of chipmunks nested under the corner of the concrete patio outside a sliding glass door…they had babies there…My Lab and my GSD would sit there every day just watching…it was the most fascinating tv dog show ever and I think they really missed it in winter when the chipmunks moved on
I’ve had my dogs bring in all sorts of critters. One of my labs has such a soft mouth she has captured live birds and turned them loose in the house. Chances are the chippies and Delialah will cross paths.
Vlad & Barkly believe that the advice from terriers everywhere is appropriate when dealing with chipmunks and squirrels. “A rodent in the wild is vermin and is not okay in the house.” Think of it this way: If Delilah is obsessed with them, she’s just showing she’ll protect her domain from them and, by proxy, your expensive belongings. Just because we humans think they’re cute doesn’t mean the dogs aren’t right. Imagine the damage that could be done to your house if any of those rodents got in your attic & they started having families. Delilah is just trying to protect you from that. So, if she ever becomes obsessed with your ceilings, check it out!
Heavy drapes? Maybe?
Put a chipmunk in one of those hamster balls and let her get some exercise?
(P.S. I’m just kidding everyone…please don’t write me hate comments in defense of the cute rodent.)
LOL perfectly normal. Don’t worry. Let her obsess. I would say that is instinct. When hubby takes the dogs out hunting, they sit for hours staring at the sky waiting for the ducks. Heck Storm spent all day Saturday watching out the window because she wasn’t the one off hunting.
I am wondering whether she is trailing chipmunks when she takes off on you in the woods and goes to other peoples yards?
Shepherds are good for obsessions! lol I work a lot with Morgan on hers, but I haven’t found a lot that really distracts her from them. I do think Delilah is ridiculously cute sitting there on chipmunk patrol, though! I have a feeling Flattery might do the same thing…
Jumping at reflections, huh? That’s hilarious! 😀 Her chipmunk obsession resembles Pierson’s squirrel and rabbit obsession. Though I bet he’d be obsessed with chipmunks too if we had any. I had to put lattice around our patio because it is on the 2nd floor and I was worried that he’d jump off without thinking to chase a squirrel or bunny.
Delilah we think it’s Tinkerbell on your ceiling
Snorts
Benny & Lily
Yah, I don’t think its such a bad obsession either…though if you wanted to do something about it, I think Pamela has a good idea. Fozzie has an obsessive personality too, and I’ve found no good solutions except continuing to solidify his responsiveness to my voice so he can respond even when he’s quivering with excitement over a squirrel or kitty cat.
My chocolate is also fixated on chipmunks. I think it is their (the chipmunks) twitchyness and the little clicking noises they make. Drives her nuts. Squirrels…not so much
That’s full on concentration, bless her!
LOL! Thumper’s obsession is lizards. I will watch and chase a squirrel, but lizards captivate him. I think of the Police song “Every Breath You Take”….:)