Dog Pampering

Since Sym he has been ill, he has developed a few funny routines which we have to play along with.

Feeding, for example.

Yes, feeding.  You would think that a dog would immediately and instinctively eat.
Not so with Sym.  He will stand in front of his bowl ... look at it ... look at me ... and complain ("Hrowowow" he'll say).

He won't touch his food until he has had a calming, pre-meal hug.

Yes, we have to give him a hug before he'll eat his food.  No hug ... no eat!

Bedtime is another of his strange rituals.

Usually it's me that puts them out for their last bladder emptying exercise of the day before I lock up and go to bed.  They usually wander around the garden for 15 minutes or so then, as one, they all troop back to the house and head for their beds ... except Sym!

Clover and Sox know what's coming (a 'good night' sausage or piece of cheese) and jump straight into their beds.  Sym, on the other hand, will stand in front of his bed and wait.  When he first started doing this I was a little confused.  I had no idea why he would just stand there and 'Hrowowow' at me.  I tried the comforting hug but it didn't work. He just took his sausage and lay on the floor.

It was purely by chance one evening that I had to straighten his bedding (I think he'd humped it!) and, to my surprise, he jumped straight, settled down and waited for his sausage.

Now, every evening, I have to make his bed before he'll get into it.  Not even a sausage will get him into bed (he's not that easy) if his bed isn't made.

Anyone else got fussy pets?