Monday, November 2, 2015

Ask OBP #15

This Ask OBP question comes from Christie! Christie asked if we put the TV on for our pugs, specifically Animal Planet.

The answer is not a simple yes or no. It is, however, a no AND a sort of yes! When we had a full house, the pugs were crated when we were not home and we did not leave a nearby TV on as that would have lead them to believe that someone was home. If we were home, they were out of the crate. So, definitely no TV in the early years. It wasn't until the pack was gone and the leader of that pack, Henry, was the lone wolf standing when he expressed the need to no longer be crated. So, Henry is not crated and has free roam of the house. Since this is the case now, we do leave the TV on (but never to Animal Planet). We want Henry to feel like someone is home since someone being home makes him feel better. So, if we can trick him into thinking someone is home, then that helps him.

Benny Watching Puppy Bowl V from obp on Vimeo.

I will say, though, that watching Animal Planet did sometimes get a rise out of Baby Benny. He was the only one, though, who ever noticed that the TV had images. He could see the TV and hear when pups barked. He would occasionally "lunge" and "puff" at the television. It was a kind of a bouncing, half bark. It was quite hysterical, actually. I guess he felt threatened to have all these "invaders" enter our living room. And perhaps he was protecting us. Silly pug.

One time Benny even barked at his own kind on the television. The video above is from a news report featuring Central Florida Pug Rescue. And Ben was barking at the poor foster pugs looking for their forever home!

I will clarify, however, that while that was cute to us, it is not dream dog behavior. And we often say that if the pugs were big dogs, some of their behavior would not be cute or even acceptable. I'll use Aunt Laurie's dog as an example in this one. Aunt Laurie has a Rottweiler. And when Lulu, the female Rottie, "lunges" and "puffs" at the TV it is literally terrifying to me. To Aunt Laurie not so much. But when a 20 pound dog charges at something "aggressively" it can totally be brushed off, but when the same behavior is shown in a dog pushing 100 pounds it doesn't translate to cute or funny, in my opinion.

So, thus I have to concede that that same behavior in Benny should not be viewed as cute or funny either. That is why little dogs get away with so much more nonsense. As an owner, you just pick up your 10, 15, 20 pound dog and march off with him/her. If that dog is 80-100+ pounds correcting the behavior and removing the dog from the problem is much more of an issue.

#DoggyDoubleStandard #NotFair #PugsGetTheLongEndOfTheStick #LittleDogsAreLuckyThatWay

I hope that answers the question. What about you all? Do your dogs need the TV on? Animal Planet? Have crazy reactions to the TV set? Is this a problem for you?

#MoreQuestions! #KeepThemComing