Dutch Shepherd Forum

This is an experiment to see if we can have an on-going thread of anecdotes - a compendium of the charming eccentricities of our Dutch Shepherds and their mixed cousins [ DingaRoo and Tyson - are you reading this?].

Two weeks ago, having set the alarm for 7am, i pushed ''off'' rather than ''snooze'' when it rang. Tracer-pup promptly woke me up at the regular 7-minute snooze interval. You all know this sort of thing - too common to announce here [?], but other incidents...? Maybe? Maybe not? After all, we had just revisited Sadie's pumpkin escapades and i was thinking it would be great to share the more mundane wonders of the daily Dutch Shepherd world that do not rise to the heights of Autumn's scarecrow, Lisa's pumpkin, or Stacy's mouse stories - the stories and comments we might not otherwise hear because one of us thinks it is not sufficiently noteworthy to start a separate thread. And if we all do wind up sharing the not-so-big extraordinary moments in an on-going thread, it would have the added benefit of providing a more reliable supply of DS fixes for those forum members that find a sudden need for such! [ Similar to a puppy photo fix with which everyone is familiar.]

I'll start with a couple recent amusements in my household and hope others will add more stories soon.

Saturday, the 12th, i was meandering around an old whaling port with the middle puppy - TexXANDER, now 8 months old and the sweetest DS i could imagine. 40 seconds into an antique shop, he went totally ballistic. The object of his fury turned out to be a sculpture sitting on a coffee table - the head of a rather intense looking man. I was rather proud of him recognizing the inherent oddity and potential danger of a disembodied head with such an animated look. Antiquing abruptly aborted.

Last Thursday morning, i was madly getting ready to leave the house and drive with Tracer to Manhattan - for his first time ever in a city environment. my cell phone rang; i ran to another room where i had left it on a bench next to a land-line handset. Picking up the cell phone, i did not immediately answer because i noticed that the caller ID was indicating a call from this very house. But then - still puzzled - i answered to find nothing but crunching sounds coming through the ear-piece. There was sudden panic: Where is the other phone i left here?! Ran into the living room where i found Tracer eating the phone. I still have no idea how he managed to dial our home number; it was not re-dial or recent calls. I have a system where my cell phone can feed into the landline and the landline can delve into the cell's contact list. but it is new, it is complicated, it is multi-step, and i have not managed to master that. Tracer somehow by accident while he was chewing on buttons got into that system, then into the contact list, and then in a probable million-to-one chance selected one of 9 numbers that have a chance of reaching me. so very weird. Strangely enough, has nothing to do with the flashes of brilliance we love - just dumb luck in the extreme, but i could not resist noting in the dogs' diary how this day i had received my first ever phone call initiated by one of my canine partners.

HAHAHAHA!!! This was an awesome way to start my morning!!! Thank you, John, for sharing!!!

That just made my day, John! I laughed out loud and got some perplexed expressions directed my way...

Awesome idea John.

I'd like to give this a try, hopefully within the spirit in which it was intended...

So, Tuesday morning I get home from the Vet's office. Leela's preliminary diagnosis of Distemper brought on a huge wave of grief similar to what I felt last year with the loss of my two dogs within 3 months of each other. With the thought of having to make the dreaded life and death decision yet again, I sat down on my couch and began to cry. Radar crept up to the couch, climbed on my lap, and then covered and smothered me in kisses. Each lick of my face seemed to wipe away the grief along with tears.

It's not unusual for Radar to be so affectionate, but he seemed to know how much I really needed some lovin' at that very moment.

We adopted our boy, Thor, from NADSR a few years ago, and one night not long after we brought him home, the husband fell asleep on the couch. Thor was resting beside me at the kitchen table. Suddenly, he bolted into the living room and started muzzle-punching the husband in the stomach as he slept. The husband woke up with that awful gasping that accompanies his sleep-apnea when he gets prodded awake. Thor, apparently, had sensed a difference in his breathing (or rather, lack of).

The flip-side to this story is when we first adopted Thor, one his obnoxious habits was indiscriminate muzzle-punching, which was discouraged and he stopped doing, except....

Individually, we all could post pages in this thread on our amazing dogs. Good thread. Deserves a separate file outside of "Whatever" (since this will likely get buried at some point).

great stories already.
Sharon, maybe Eric will make it a separate file if it is successful, but if it is a success, if we collectively keep it up, hopefully it will not get buried. That is an amazing story of Thor - how attentive, how resourceful, and how much in love so early on.
Michael, i know that moment that the possibility [ probability ] of death of someone close suddenly swells up inside and comes screaming out of you. Radar sounds more wonderful with every story you tell.
finally just want to say that the SPIRIT in which this thread was intended was EXTREMELY BROAD.
thanks to both of you for contributing so beautifully to its starting day.

p.s., Stacy and Autumn - certainly Tyson and Moko have done something weird recently - or are about to!
thanks!

First off, I LOVE this thread, great idea John.
I've had a few experiences similar to Karen's. I was terribly sick earlier this week and kind of moaning and groaning, slightly whimpering and completely out of it. I noticed Asha followed me constantly, way more than normal, and would not even let me lay down alone, she had to either be at my feet or on me! And of course she was a snuggling and licking machine. She was also keeping a constant eye on my two young daughters. It made it much easier for me to get better, mainly because I could rest without worrying about my girls because Asha was being so attentive.
A couple months ago we were driving in the car and were nearly in a head on collision with a tri-axel. I slammed on the breaks and shouted some major curse words (with the kids and husband in the car!). I was extremely panicked and shaking, until Asha peeked her little head up and started licking my shoulder and nuzzling me.
Ok last one, this one happened today and is less "magical" but on our walk today, which is a new route (our 4th trip) Asha knew the exact route and how to behave on it with very few vocal commands. I was shocked at how well she remembered not only the way we were to go, but also where she had to sit in order to get off the leash, where she was aloud to chase squirrels and where she needed to stay right beside me while off leash. And she behaved perfectly to everyone who stopped to stare and ask about her!
I've said it many times before, I have never had a dog like this! I feel so lucky to have found her.

Emily, it is so great Asha is progressing so well - and not even 5 months i think [?]. i love that feeling that comes on a walk like that with a dog that will probably just keep exceeding whatever expectations you have. when i took in Tracedog off the street 13 years ago, i had no idea of his breed for years but i knew in the first seconds of watching him that he was the smartest dog i had ever laid eyes on - and then he went on to keep exceeding rapidly inflating expectations for 12 years - shocking me nearly every week right to the end.
Karen, i apologize. Clearly you wrote the post [ referring to ''the husband'' ], but then i saw Michael's name underlined and, at that moment forgetting your phrasing, addressed myself to him as the author.
sorry for my lapse into stupidity.

John -
Here are a couple from me:

Tyson has successfully trained the husband to give him treats on demand... He looks at my husband, looks at the treat jar, and then looks back at my husband while simultaneously licking his lips. Works like a charm every time.

He is also currently trying to figure out how to get two tennis balls in his mouth at the same time... it is quite comical. You can see the thought bubble over his head:
"Got it, now this one...got it, wait - what about the other one...okay, got it...wait...UGH! Okay, I'll pick this one up and roll the other one with my nose for now."
Lather, rinse, repeat...it's hysterical.

On a more serious note, I was really sick the other day...very light headed and thought I was going to pass out while I was walking up the stairs. Normally, my bouncing buddy bounds up the stairs ahead of me and greets me at the top with a wriggly body, wagging tail, and the "what took you so long???" look. This time he took each step right along with me and looked me dead in the eyes the entire time. Good boy, Tyson... Good boy.

Although determined not to hog this delightful thread (I rank among the top DS owner-boasters of all time), "Asha's" thread has reminded me of other things Thor has keyed in on that were physical/health conditions in their nature, aside from the husband's sleep apnea. Couple examples:

1) I broke two toes--pinky and one beside it; didn't go to the doctor's so didn't wear that shoe they normally give you. Dr. Thor immediately shifted heeling on the side where the broken toes were. He's in a constant heel, usually, so I had to adjust to his heeling on the new side, but it was impossible to jam those toes into things as long as he acted like a buffer. Once the swelling and bruising went down, he went back to heeling on the "correct" side.

2) My immune system bit the dust and I developed skin lesions. I could tell when a new one was about to sprout because Dr. Thor would nudge a spot with his nose...and within a day or two, there was a new one in that spot.

I hope I never stop being in awe of his intuitiveness. (I should never have started posting again...now I want to yak about the household chores he's in charge of...but I won't...except to say that if he catches you doing one of his jobs--brother, you better get out of the way.)

Stacy_R wrote:John -

He is also currently trying to figure out how to get two tennis balls in his mouth at the same time... it is quite comical. You can see the thought bubble over his head:
"Got it, now this one...got it, wait - what about the other one...okay, got it...wait...UGH! Okay, I'll pick this one up and roll the other one with my nose for now."
Lather, rinse, repeat...it's hysterical.

Elli's trying to master the 2 ball thing too. Odin can fit 3 and walks around in the morning with a mouth full. She tries so hard to be like him, but can't even get the second one in.

Today I was at the shop at my parents' house working on orders and Odin's standing in the middle of the driveway. They have a 900 foot driveway, so he's about 400 feet from me. He kept looking at me and then looking at the woods. He did it over and over again until I took my headphones and safety glasses off and realized Elli was missing. I called her and sure enough she came running out of the woods with a sock in her mouth. She was headed to the neighbor's. I'm not sure what the sock was for.

LyonsFamily wrote:Elli's trying to master the 2 ball thing too. Odin can fit 3 and walks around in the morning with a mouth full. She tries so hard to be like him, but can't even get the second one in.

I know that when Tyson finally masters it he will prance around joyfully. I love watching him when he really figures something out.

His favorite self-entertaining indoor tennis ball games are: (1) rolling it around on the carpet with his nose and then dropping it on the hardwood so it will bounce and he can catch/chase it, and (2) intentionally rolling it under the ottoman and then trying to get it out. It took me awhile to figure out that he was rolling it under the ottoman on purpose. I really need to try to get it on video...silly dog.

LyonsFamily wrote:Today I was at the shop at my parents' house working on orders and Odin's standing in the middle of the driveway. They have a 900 foot driveway, so he's about 400 feet from me. He kept looking at me and then looking at the woods. He did it over and over again until I took my headphones and safety glasses off and realized Elli was missing. I called her and sure enough she came running out of the woods with a sock in her mouth. She was headed to the neighbor's. I'm not sure what the sock was for.

Good boy, Odin. The sock...had to be a treasure she found in the woods... Or maybe she was returning it to the neighbors....LOL.

Oh, and John....
Tyson did catch another mouse... This time he was just playing with it, though the mouse was clearly not amused because it bit him on the nose. At that point, all bets were off.

johninny wrote:Karen, i apologize. Clearly you wrote the post [ referring to ''the husband'' ], but then i saw Michael's name underlined and, at that moment forgetting your phrasing, addressed myself to him as the author.
sorry for my lapse into stupidity.

John - all of the posts about Radar come from me (Michael). You were correct to originally assume that. Perhaps because I admitted crying, but I am secure enough to put my honest emotions out there.

No harm, no foul, and I love this thread.

Michael, thank you so much for clarifying; AFTER i wrote my apology, i realized i was still confused. but no, it was not the crying - i myself felt tears coming just at your mention of that feeling and the dreaded decision. another poster had responded to you using Karen as the presumed author; then in response i immediately mashed your post together with Sharon's [ who referred to ''the husband'' ] and decided that i had obviously erred. a little later, when i discovered i had mashed the 2 stories together in my head, it was no longer so obvious, but...

i am really loving this thread, too. it was just an idea that percolated for a couple weeks, but now in practice [ well, only ONE day so far ] it is so much better than i had pictured, though it is unfolding with a great spirit that i had hoped for.
there is an American Indian word, MASSAKEAT, which means 'the great, good spirit'. it is that which flows so strongly in our Dutch Shepherds, which so distinguishes them from many other smart breeds [ aside from the depth and breadth of their intelligence ], and it is that spirit that infuses many of the stories so far told here that probably never would have been mentioned otherwise. the stories make me so proud of ALL our Dutch Shepherds.
almost every story makes me think of something related that i could tell of one of my dogs. it is probably the same for all of us. i do hope you all will keep them coming.

Sharon, having experienced the workings of this thread for a day, i like the way that it works sort of like a hometown newspaper: you open it up and you see everything - all the different columns at once, though you might may more attention to one over another. and, assuming [ hoping!] it does not disappear through inactivity, i think there is great benefit psychologically to not having to start a new thread AND NAME THAT THREAD. with this format, one is less likely to think you may be imposing and no required naming of a thread means there is no title to live up to. it is just simple telling of one story after another. and i do not want ANY of these stories to go untold. so i am thinking it is better not to have its own file outside of ''whatever'', though if it becomes too unwieldy storage-wise, the idea could be tweaked. what do you think now that you have seen a day of it?

Whoops Michael, that was me. Sorry buddy, I hope everything is going well.
I just went back and looked at the "introducing Leela" thread. I've been associating all of your posts with your wife because she's in the pics.

John,
A couple/few years ago I started a thread about upcoming projects people had with their dogs in the upcoming year; everyone loved it and someone suggested that people post with updates. It hit the ground running, but alas....This, really, is what sparked my comment about a separate file (though with DSFs format, it certainly fits under "Whatever").

Another forum that is large and active has an ongoing thread, but I suspect it's been kept alive for so long because the forum IS so large and active, especially with an abundance of old-time regulars.

you very well may be right in what you say. any sign of disinterest and it will bite the dust. at those times it may depend on some of us with really wacky, intuitive or devilishly playful DS to step in and bring it back from the brink. after your original comment, i gave some thought to how it could have a separate file and still retain its current character; and i do think there is a good way to structure it so if Eric facilitated it, it would be maybe even better as you said.

So this is just something kinda funny, a lot of you have mentioned similar events but anyway...I've recently noticed Asha is acting totally possessive of me. The other early morning she was sleeping on the big dog bed with our beagle Charlie and our little black kitten (her other BFF!!!). During the night our young daughter (human!) had a nightmare and slept in he middle of our bed, kicking Asha out. I was cuddling her and kissing her and Asha jumped right up on the bed and pushed between us, essentially becoming a licking maniac! SOOO jealous! She does this all the time! Anytime I kiss the girls, sit with the girls, hug my husband or show affection to another animal she hops right into my lap and nudges the other "party" away. What a nut!

So here's my offering.

Part of my morning routine involves getting up way earlier than the rest of the household, letting out the dogs for morning potty, feed the dogs, drink some coffee and allow myself some morning quiet time while the dogs eat, and take Moko for a walk (later in the day all 3 dogs get to romp and go for leash-walkies, but Moko NEEDS the one-one-one leash walk/training session in the a.m. one of the nice things about being back up to three dogs again, is that I can work with one and not feel guilty because there are two left behind to console one another at not being the one to go, as opposed to one alone feeling "left-out") and then do lunchbox-packing, child-wrangling breakfasting, schoolbus-putting-on etc... let the dogs out one last time and then scrambling to farm for morning chores then to work.

That precious few moments in the morning after the dogs have been out but before I've collected now-empty dishes and take Moko for our walk, where I get to sip my coffee and just mentally prep for the day in quiet solitude is normally mellow and quiet. Maiyou eats her breakfast then naps on the couch, and Moko and Freyja finish their meal and then kind of hang out in their respective crates and chew a bone or otherwise patiently and quietly wait for me to collect their dishes (they get fed in their crates, senior Maiyou is the only one who has unsupervised run of the house at all times,) and move on with the morning.

Not this morning, Moko, clearly feeling bored while waiting for me to come get him for our walk, invented his own game to play in the crate. (His is an extra-large wire metal crate, because it can be easily folded and transported when visiting elsewhere and he'd outgrown his large vari-kennel which is now Freyja's.)

It involves flipping the metal feed dish rim-side-down, and then slapping down on it with a forepaw to send it sliding and flying across the crate an "BING"ing loudly against the opposite wall, pounce, chase, repeat. Extra points if you can catch it midflight on its rebound off the opposite wall before sending it spinning away again. So much for my quiet reverie in the morning... As I retrieved the dish I told him sincerely that I was delighted and impressed by his inventive creativity and engaging self-entertainment ability, but that 5:15 in the morning while the rest of the house is still trying to sleep was not the best time for this particular game. He just tipped his head and in all silent eloquence expressed "Oh, right, but it's time for our walk, now anyway, right?"

feraloup wrote:So here's my offering.

Not this morning, Moko, clearly feeling bored while waiting for me to come get him for our walk, invented his own game to play in the crate. (His is an extra-large wire metal crate, because it can be easily folded and transported when visiting elsewhere and he'd outgrown his large vari-kennel which is now Freyja's.)

It involves flipping the metal feed dish rim-side-down, and then slapping down on it with a forepaw to send it sliding and flying across the crate an "BING"ing loudly against the opposite wall, pounce, chase, repeat. Extra points if you can catch it midflight on its rebound off the opposite wall before sending it spinning away again. So much for my quiet reverie in the morning... As I retrieved the dish I told him sincerely that I was delighted and impressed by his inventive creativity and engaging self-entertainment ability, but that 5:15 in the morning while the rest of the house is still trying to sleep was not the best time for this particular game. He just tipped his head and in all silent eloquence expressed "Oh, right, but it's time for our walk, now anyway, right?"

I can't tell you how much I love this!!!