Is It True that Two Dogs Entertain Each Other?

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I hear it said all the time that two dogs entertain each other, but that is not the case with Fudge and Vern.  I have never seen my two nudge each other to go play outside or work on a puzzle indoors.  Instead it seems, when they get bored, they might feed off the other’s energy, but mostly they double team me and follow me around like I am in charge of activities.  Most days, I don’t need a clock in the house to know it is getting around to walk time, because they box me in when I am moving about the house and make everything harder and even the simplest thing like going to the bathroom becomes a spectator sport. 

 

My two dogs seem to have worked out a system as to who is in charge and it can change on an “as need” basis.  Vern seems to be in charge of when Fudge can enter the car to go on walks and most days, you will find me screaming for him to let her be as we try to get to the car.  When Vern knows we are going to the park, his excitement usually manifests as a defensive player whose main purpose is to keep Fudge from the goal line.  It starts the minute he exits the house as he turns to let Fudge know she is going to have to work hard to get into the car.  Sometimes, Fudge won’t even leave the safety of the house, but rather turns to me as if to say, “could we just shut the door and forget about this walk?” I used to try and intervene on her behalf, but more times than not, as I am fighting to hold Vern to let her pass, she gives him a look as she leaps away to let him know she might enjoy being chased.  At this point, I just start praying that they take their chase away from the vicinity of my legs. Vern is good for a couple of passes around the yard and through the bushes and then he likes to jump in the van and turn to block Fudge’s entry into the van.  Fudge will immediately start circling the van with a prancy little flounce in her step and they both like when I start opening other doors to see if we can sneak Fudge in.  If that doesn’t work, she has to go in sideways and offer up her neck to Vern for one quick attack before he is off to the front of the van to see if he can locate any Kleenex or napkins to eat.  This happens every single day and if this is two dogs entertaining each other, then yes, it does happen.

 

Well, payback can be a real you know what, because Fudge does some of this same stuff in the house to Vern. This summer we lost our cat to illness. Our cat stayed downstairs in the family room and never came upstairs where the dogs were located.  We blocked off the basement with a Rubbermaid lid and the dogs were not allowed down there. We thought eventually they would work it out, but the cat wanted nothing to do with two Doodles and since Vern has a mild fixation on anything feline and would do this crazy-eyed, hypnotic stare at her, I can’t say I blamed Princess. The cat is now gone and Fudge understands this, but not Vern.  We have removed the Rubbermaid lid, but they both still wait at the top of the steps until I say it is ok for them to go downstairs and then they race down the steps.  Fudge just likes the race, but Vern is convinced the faster he goes the better to surprise the cat. Hayley said the other night he was in her room all night with his head under her bed looking for the cat.  We had the carpet professionally cleaned, vacuumed every nook and cranny, but Vern is still convinced that cat has the world’s best hiding place and it is up to him to flush her out.  I am not saying Vern is not smart, but I am pretty sure the cat is up there somewhere saying to some other cat, “that’s the one I’ve been telling you about!”  Meanwhile, since we started letting them down there, if Fudge beats Vern down the steps, she likes to turn around and wait for him in what can only be described as a “try to get by me and live” look. The combination of her look and stance stops Vern in his tracks, which is like a large road block for any human trying to get down the steps behind him.  One of these days they are going to find me at the bottom of the steps, covered in the dirty laundry I was trying to take to the washer, and two dogs still playing “Red Rover, Red Rover, Can Vern go over, around, or through Fudge?” If this is how two dogs entertain each other, then yes, I stand corrected and my dogs can entertain each other.

 

My daughter, Megan, used to have sleepovers at our house and never involved me in any way.  I liked her sleepovers.  The girls stayed in her room, came out occasionally for a snack, and other than me yelling “is everyone ok?’ every now and then to make sure they were still in her room and hadn’t shimmied down her window on her bed sheets, they didn’t bother me.  Then there was Hayley.  She would have a friend over and within two minutes they would find me and announce that they were bored and ask what there was to do.  I used to respond, “we could drive your friend home.” This is more like Fudge and Vern.  I am not ashamed to admit that I used to try and bribe her NOT to have a sleepover.  She had one friend that I don’t know if she ever talked and within a minute of her coming over, Hayley would find me to tell me that the girl wasn’t talking.  I used to wish I could thump her upside the head and say, “duh, she hasn’t talked on the last four sleepovers.  Get a clue.” Unfortunately, the girl could see and hear and I didn't want the one thing she finally spoke up and said to be, "Hayley, let's call the Child Abuse Hotline and report your mother." Another time, at the babysitters, Hayley and a different friend were caught in the bathroom with matches and I lectured her all the way home about the hazards of playing with matches.  She quietly listened and I thought I was making an impact, right up until the time she turned to me and said quite indignantly, “mom, it wasn’t even matches.  It was a lighter!” She said it in such a way that clearly implied she thought any sane person ought to be able to see the difference and now that I could see that she didn’t really break any rules, I should just let it go. That didn’t happen.

 

Fudge and Vern are a lot like Hayley and her little firebug friend in the bathroom.  They need supervision.  Fudge is a rule breaker and also knows how to just walk on the edge when it comes to listening.  For instance, some days when I call her to come inside, she walks towards me so slowly that I expect to hear a loud beeping noise come from her behind in case the slowness pulls her into reverse.  Technically, she does come, but wants me to know it is on her terms.  She is also a master at manipulating Vern into doing her bidding.  It reminds me of the ventriloquist doll Megan wanted one year for Christmas, although John and I spent a long time in the store trying to figure out from her list what she meant by a duddy doll.  Turns out she meant dummy doll, which seems especially funny since she didn’t know how to spell it correctly.  Maybe I will point that out to her sometime when she is spouting off about the way my mind works and never in a good way.  Anyway, Fudge can be a real puppet master and Vern is so eager to please, that it is usually him I find digging a hole big enough to bury a horse in after some chipmunk that Fudge politely pointed out to him.  I have come around the corner after mowing a small section of grass to find a path of destruction along our stone wall that makes the demolition of the Berlin Wall look like small potatoes.  Always, Vern is in full throttle as Fudge steps back and looks at me as if she is not sure how any of this happened, but it is Vern’s fault. Vern is so happy that he is involved in something fun that nothing like a human shrieking and cussing is going to bring him down from his high.

 

So, when I hear that two dogs entertain themselves, I will agree that sometimes they really do, but in my case, more times than not, it just so happens that one chocolate one thinks up trouble and the other one follows along eagerly.  Usually, however, they both just look to me to come up with something to do, similar to Hayley and her mime artist friend.  Now, there are people in my family who say it is my own fault and the dogs behave differently when I am not around, but I have learned to ignore those people long ago. I really do love having two dogs and their differences, but every once in awhile I wish I would find them playing a game of chess.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

LOL Donna!

[Donna K & Quincy]

Fudge and Vern sound like the perfect pair, a furry version of Laurel and Hardy, with Vern being Laurel of course. Maybe the Frenchies will teach them how to play chess when they come to visit. :>)

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Great blog as usual!
My two when they aren't sleeping or eating are generally playing together. It is
so heartwarming to watch, you can see the joy as they play. Perhaps it's their closeness
in age, being only 8 months apart. Bad part is I've gotten lazy about their walks because
they always get so much exercise. Hmm, could be why I've gone up a pants size :-(

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Having an "only doodle" I sometimes feel bad for him, but after reading your blog, I think we're good at getting our "multiple doodle fix"vicariously through you. LOL.  Good for you ignoring those other pesky people since it's clear … the doodles like you better :)

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Loved this Laurie!  Coming from a family of an "only" Doodle it was lots of fun to read!  As for the sleepovers with children, OH can I relate having five kids!   Loved learning more of the personalities of Fudge and Vern!  They are just the best!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Theresa, Thank you! Hang in there and I hope they are best friends soon.

Leslie, LOL...I can picture this all in my head.

[Theresa and Doodle Dagny]

You are a wonderful storyteller!  I really enjoyed reading this.  We've only had two now for a week, and dog #1 has been pretty unsure about this puppy thing - snapping at puppy quite a bit.  But, this morning we experienced a breakthrough with #1 instigating a game of tag.  I hope this continues. Your babes are lovely :)   

[Leslie and Halas]

Great blog! Halas and Barley don't live together, but they do sometimes entertain each other when they're together. My favorite is when they have a slow speed chase. Halas will get a toy, make sure Barley sees it, and then wander slowly around the sofa and chairs. Barley follows him, in hopes of getting the toy. But they'll do this for 10 minutes without breaking into running or a real chase. Just a very slow follow.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Nicky, I loved that "trick" video. So funny. I cracked up at the story of Boris in the bathroom. That has happened here several times with Vern and I think once with Fudge. I had to get a door stopper. They do remind me of Fudge and Vern. I should try that treat trick and see what happens.

F, Thank you. You know I love Calla and Luca and think they are perfect, despite you saying otherwise sometimes. LOL

Camilla, Thank you. That would be awesome.

Thanks, Karen. Two dogs does make life exciting sometimes. More than I want to be excited at other times. LOL Hugs to Jack.

Linda, My daughter comes soon to our house with her two Frenchies and that is what happens in our house. Vern will be roughhousing with both of them and Fudge watches from the sidelines like she is too grown up to get involved. Makes me laugh. Glad Beau has a fun play date.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Jane, Yes, you got it. Exactly how my dogs entertain each other, by getting me to do their bidding :) LOL The other day poor Vern was trying to dig a hole that Fudge wanted to dig in and she kept biting the back of his legs. He would dig and she would bite. It made me laugh. He persisted, but kept getting bit.

Jarka, LOL about your frantic search for Auggie and no help from his brother, Monty. What a stinker!! I always call Fudge my little StinkerDoodle. Yes, our dogs sound alike, except for the humping. Fudge always tricks Vern into playing or whatever and he never knows what hits him. You are right, however, they make our lives fun.

Thanks, Carol.

Nancy, I see Ned is another StinkerDoodle. Poor Clancy having to wait to get in the house :) I don't want to even think about poor Gordie. LOL