Yesterday I stopped by the local pet market to get some dog food. On a hunch, I also bought three different styles of dog toys - a rope bone, a stuffy hedgehog, and one of those new "stufflingless" fuzzy toys. Bela has been TRYING to play lately, but just can't get the hang of things. I though seeing Gracie play with the different toys would help. (Before this, we only had two fuzzy toys, which neither one of them seemed to like very much.)
So I get home, get settled, and pull out the toys. Gracie (who clearly knows exactly what toys are for) pounces on the rope bone and starts shaking it madly. Bela, from her vantage point of the loveseat, looks at Gracie as if she suddenly grew horns.
I get out the hedgehog and sqeak it, showing it to Bela. She looks horrified, sniffs it thoroughly, then takes it up into the big chair and sits on it. (She does this when she has something that she doesn't want Gracie to have.) I continue to play with Gracie and the other toys.
Bela becomes curious, and comes over to see what we're doing, leaving the hedgehog unguarded. Gracie takes advantage and grabs the hedgehog, shaking it madly, terrier-style. Bela, again horrified, grabs the other end of the hedgehog. Bela, who is deadly serious, is NOT PLAYING. Gracie thinks it's a wonderful game, but soon gets bored and walks off. Bela takes the hedgehog and gently lays it in the chair, then curls up around it.
The lightbulb goes off over my head - SHE THINKS ITS HER BABY. She has been carrying it with her ever since, curling around it protectively whenever she lies down. She even took it into her crate last night.
Bela spent a great deal of her life as a puppy mill mama, until Sheltie Rescue got hold of her about a year ago. She was spayed this past March, so I'm sure it's more a behavioral thing than a hormonal thing. But it still worries me. She could develop a protective behavior towards the toy, and along with it some very bad habits.
She's due to start some obedience classes this coming January or February, as I think her confidence will have developed enough by then. Meanwhile, what shall I do about this potentially neurotic behavior? Should I take the toy away? She already won't let Gracie anywhere near it, but doesn't mind me taking it. We've had a couple of incidents of bared teeth, but nothing more serious.
Bela's been doing so well this past month or so, and my heart just sank when I realized what was happening. I had a dog many years ago who developed the same kind of neurosis about a deflated volley ball, and ended up biting several people over it. So I'm kind of afraid for Bela. I don't want her to become unhappy over this. She's had so much unhappiness in her life.
I'd appreciate any experiences/advice/opinions on how to handle this. I'm completely out of my depth, yet again!
So I get home, get settled, and pull out the toys. Gracie (who clearly knows exactly what toys are for) pounces on the rope bone and starts shaking it madly. Bela, from her vantage point of the loveseat, looks at Gracie as if she suddenly grew horns.
I get out the hedgehog and sqeak it, showing it to Bela. She looks horrified, sniffs it thoroughly, then takes it up into the big chair and sits on it. (She does this when she has something that she doesn't want Gracie to have.) I continue to play with Gracie and the other toys.
Bela becomes curious, and comes over to see what we're doing, leaving the hedgehog unguarded. Gracie takes advantage and grabs the hedgehog, shaking it madly, terrier-style. Bela, again horrified, grabs the other end of the hedgehog. Bela, who is deadly serious, is NOT PLAYING. Gracie thinks it's a wonderful game, but soon gets bored and walks off. Bela takes the hedgehog and gently lays it in the chair, then curls up around it.
The lightbulb goes off over my head - SHE THINKS ITS HER BABY. She has been carrying it with her ever since, curling around it protectively whenever she lies down. She even took it into her crate last night.
Bela spent a great deal of her life as a puppy mill mama, until Sheltie Rescue got hold of her about a year ago. She was spayed this past March, so I'm sure it's more a behavioral thing than a hormonal thing. But it still worries me. She could develop a protective behavior towards the toy, and along with it some very bad habits.
She's due to start some obedience classes this coming January or February, as I think her confidence will have developed enough by then. Meanwhile, what shall I do about this potentially neurotic behavior? Should I take the toy away? She already won't let Gracie anywhere near it, but doesn't mind me taking it. We've had a couple of incidents of bared teeth, but nothing more serious.
Bela's been doing so well this past month or so, and my heart just sank when I realized what was happening. I had a dog many years ago who developed the same kind of neurosis about a deflated volley ball, and ended up biting several people over it. So I'm kind of afraid for Bela. I don't want her to become unhappy over this. She's had so much unhappiness in her life.
I'd appreciate any experiences/advice/opinions on how to handle this. I'm completely out of my depth, yet again!
