The
Food Game
Our Wagontale crew has a game, ... we are not sure
exactly when it started, nor how it came about.
It is one they all play. Sometimes there are no
players only "it's"....
Fresh water and dry food are available at all times in
our house ...
so they always have the necessary "equipment"
to play this game with.
When Keeper was around 5 weeks old he was terrorized by
this game. An adult would take a pellet of food, lay down
with the pellet placed between their front feet far
enough out to "tempt" little Keeper and turn
their head away as though not paying attention to the
pellet.
Keeper would try to take the very tempting pellet then
the adult "it" would growl, bark and jump at
him and scare the wits out of the poor little thing! The
first time this happened we had to pick him up to console
him he was so shaken. Keeper always "fell" for
this game, but as time passed he began to find it a
challenge!
This was very interesting to watch and of course we
watched in amazement as Keeper grew, and finally one day
he decided he was "it".... of course being so
small his terrorizing didn't faze the adults they just
picked the pellet up and walked away! Keeper kept growing,
and practising, and soon another "litter" was
born.
The new puppies grew fast and were soon old enough to be
introduced to "the food game". Meanwhile Keeper
practised and became a "master it"... We
watched in amazement as Keeper picked up a pellet of food,
and placed it on the floor, went back for a second and
placed it in another spot farther away, then he lay on
top of the footstool keeping his eyes away from either
pellet!!!
That is when we both agreed Keeper was the Master
of the "food game" and we realized our
intelligent pets were developing a whole new lifestyle. I
have also noted that each new litter is now introduced to
the "food game" by their own mother in the
"nursery" before venturing out to mix with the
others.
Denis and I have known for some time now that our poodle
population was "different" from ordinary dogs
in the sense that women's lib is in effect in our poodle
population. Our Mister Male (Keeper) here does not
back away from any female. If there is a scrap to break
up it is usually between Keeper and one of the females...
Perhaps this began with the food game???
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