Two year old West Highland Terrier Stella takes her job as protector of the house and its contents very seriously. So much so that she refuses to have fun.
Stella looks at any proffered toy with disdain. Squeaky Squirrel? Nope. Stuffed Hedgehog? Not a chance. Tennis ball? No way. Kong stuffed with pumpkin puree? Don’t even bother.
Games are not on her radar screen either. If prompted to fetch a tossed ball, she will watch it sail through the air, and then walk in the opposite direction from wherever it lands. Hide and seek with the grand kids? Extricate a biscuit from a puzzle toy? Play a game of chase…tug of war…head shake a kitchen towel…nothing appeals to her.
All Stella wants to do is perch on the top of the sofa, and bark at anything and everything that walks by the house.
So of course all that barking was pretty annoying, but Stella’s human companions did not want to deprive her of what they surmised was her only joy in life. Their main concern was they felt a young dog like Stella should be romping and playing, acting like a “normal” dog. They wanted her to be a happy, well-adjusted dog so they sought out my help.
Here is what we did to persuade Stella to replace work with fun:
We added a spare dog to the mix.
Stick with me here. No, I’m not saying that Stella’s family had to go out and adopt another dog just so Stella could have a good life. They definitely did not want to have double the mess, responsibility or cost of a second dog.
In this case, the secret solution is… drumbeat…a PLAY MATE!
Stella needed another dog to take her mind off her self-appointed job. And when a new family moved into the house next door, Stella was quickly introduced to Dodger, a one year old Jack Russell Terrier. As luck would have it, Dodger and Stella are roughly the same size and energy level and took to each other right away.
Nearly every day, the dogs get together in one or the other’s yard for a good hour or so of raucous and gleeful tumbling, running, and wrestling. When they part, both dogs drop off to sleep as if drugged. Stella is too tired now to climb to the perch, let alone bark. Instead, she is either watching for signs that it is Dodger-Time, or she is conked out, dreaming happily about all the fun she will have with him the next day.