Dutch Shepherd Forum

Whenever I'm petting Geyser (which is a freaking LOT ), if we're lying on the bed, she'll brace one of her legs against me, often the arm that's doing the petting. She seems to love to brace herself against you with her feet/legs. I'm wondering if this is a DS thing? My GSD never did this, or any other dog I've known.

It gets to be pretty funny, because the second she starts to brace my arm, the petting stops...she looks at me, I look at her, I wait, she moves her foot, I pet. The foot comes back, I stop. We look at each other. The foot moves again. I pet again. The foot returns...ad infinitum. Geeze Louise...

Harvey does this constantly haha

ya, Sugar too!!

Sadie too!!!! her legs are soooo long that she will push me away, then give that look "why'd ya stop??" She wont move her leg though.

ahhh the trick is not to pet but to scratch the back of the neck, that disables the leg

Lyric tries this too, but like Leih, I stop the petting until the foot goes away. Lots of times she'll just hold the foot up in mid-air, not quite touching me, but I don't stop the petting unless there is contact. I should probably turn it into a trick behavior.

Tracedog did that with utter consistency all his life. usually pushing stongly against my chest or leg with enough force to topple me. but always with a front leg - braced straight. others always took it as a sign that he did not like them or at least did not want to be rubbed, but it was just the opposite, he was getting comfortable for a serious rubdown. if i was near, but not rubbing his tummy, he would always reach out with one fron paw and touch me gently and keep that contact. but again, if i started rubbing his tummy, his front leg weould go straight, and he wanted to achieve pressure on the leg. no idea why. ANYONE HAVE A THEORY?

the 2 pups - xander and sakima - do not do this [ trace did when i found him at 6 mos old] and neither did rescue foster cain who was 7 yrs old during his foster stay with me

Well, I'm thinking this is a DS thing for sure

Choochi, I'll check out your hint...

yeah, Zane does it too, he almost pushed me over this morning when I was squatting to pet him and didn't expect the leg to come out.

Taz does

BTW, Choochi, if you see this, the behind the neck scratching doesn't work with Geyser. The impulse is just too strong, I guess

Radar's guilty as well, but if you stop petting he nibbles your hand with increasing intensity until you resume petting.

I know I am not supposed to reward this behavior, but I can't stop...

Sadie has always nibbled, I love it. She will still also just put her mouth around my wrist when I scratch her, she just holds it. I let her do it, its all in love.

Yup! Stella is always either pushing with both front paws or putting her paw on the arm I'm petting her with.... she does lots of mouthing too

Colt does this, but he will take my arm by wrapping his paw around it, pull my arm towards him and hold it... And I always thought Colt just wanted to hold hands with me, LOL!

Speaking of things DS do, is it a DS thing to be so vocal? Colt has a wide variety of different vocalizations depending on what he is trying to "say"! I call it "mooing" and had to explain to our CGC instructor that he was not growling/being aggressive!

Also, is it just Colt or are most DS so orally fixated? Colt like to do what I call "corn cobbing" as he nibbles your arm gently like he is eating corn on the cob!

Colt has one other quirk that I have never seen before.... but it might not be appropriate to mention on a BB!

Cal also likes to grab my arm when I'm giving him lovin's and is very vocal especially in the mornings when he needs me to wake up so I can let him pee, and is very mouthy but he's only 18 or so months so that could be part of it

Brindle Colt wrote: Speaking of things DS do, is it a DS thing to be so vocal? Colt has a wide variety of different vocalizations depending on what he is trying to "say"! I call it "mooing" and had to explain to our CGC instructor that he was not growling/being aggressive!

Oh gosh, Odin talks all the time! I used to bring him to staff meetings when I worked at the vet clinic, but one time he taught all of the long term patients how to talk too and we came out of the meeting to an injured chorus. The techs weren't too happy working the next week.

I cannot cry in this house without Odin screaming MMMMMMMMMMMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOmmmmmmmmmm!!!! over and over again and then nibbling on my arm until it's better.

He talks while running agility, talks when he wakes up, talks when we get home. I think the best reaction is when we pick him up from the kennel/his old foster mom's place. Then he screams when he sees us and talks all the way home.

Ha ha, too funny! Mine is not a talker...on occasion she will "complain" vocally when she is excited and anticipating something. And its a very cute complain! Probably more an excitement thing in anticipaction, but its very rare she does it. I've thought about teaching it to her as a command. She knows speak as a bark, so I don't see why I couldn't teach her this as well. It is super cute.