I almost didn’t write this because it seems so unbelievable . . like I would have to be making this up but really . . it happened.
Any time I forget to close the gate that keeps the dogs from going up the stairs, Oscar notices and is up the stairs before I can stop him. He’s fast on those stairs and it isn’t good for dachshund backs so I try to be sure the gate is always closed.
Last night I came in from taking Cooper out. Vince was upstairs in the shower and that’s the first place Oscar goes when he goes up the stairs . . to find Vince. I sat down on the sofa and thought . . no dogs . . that’s weird. That’s when I realized I must have left the gate open so I jumped up, turned the corner thinking I’d have to go upstairs and find both of them. No . . Oscar was standing sideways on the bottom step, blocking Cooper from going up.
I told Vince . . Oscar knows he isn’t supposed to go up the stairs but he does it every single time he has found that gate open. Yet, to keep Cooper from going up the stairs, Oscar stayed at the bottom and blocked the stairs.
That really seems so unbelievable to me.
One thing Oscar is doing that isn’t so good . . on the sofa, I sit in the middle, Cooper sits on my left and Oscar sits on my right. When Vince is going to take Cooper and hold him for a while, I pick Cooper up and hand him to Vince, reaching over Oscar. No . . Oscar will not let Vince take him. Tuesday night when Vince took Cooper, Oscar growled and snapped. Vince thought he was snapping at Cooper because he got too close. I was afraid he was snapping at Vince for taking Cooper. Last night, the same thing happened. Now, Vince will walk around to the left side of me and get Cooper so we’re not passing him over Oscar or I’ll get up and hand Cooper to Vince. If Oscar reacts, I’ll scold him and hopefully that will be enough. He seems to want to do the right thing . . sometimes and a mild scolding hurts his feelings and I don’t usually have to do it twice . . except on things he is determined he is going to do, no matter the consequences.
Pat Anderson says
Wow! Oscar is taking his big brother duties seriously, isn’t he? That is amazing! (The stair blocking, not the snapping at Vince!) Dogs can be so interesting!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
The things Oscar has done have astounded me. I was pretty sure they would eventually learn to get along but am so surprised at Oscar’s “leadership”.
RuthW in MD says
How Astonishing!! That Oscar would stop Cooper from going up the stairs! He’s an amazing dog. Of course he wouldn’t want you to hand Cooper over his head to Vince. Sibling rivalry! But when Vince makes an obvious choice, Oscar is fine. Such interesting relationships are developing in your household.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Oscar has surprised me but he isn’t always a big brother. He has gotten snippy with his Yak chews this morning so we took them all away. I’m hoping Oscar is just making threatening noises and not really being aggressive but . . for now, all the Yak chews are removed from the playground! 🙂
vivoaks says
That’s really wild. It’s unbelievable what an animal will do under certain circumstances. Oscar is just showing how smart he really is…making sure you don’t underestimate him! 🙂 Sounds like lots of fun times ahead!! 🙂
Dottie Newkirk says
That is surprising!! And, really neat!!
JUDITH TRUMBULL says
That step story reminded me of a story about my Shih Tzu and my daughter’s Shih Tzu. We had a pool party and all guests were constantly reminded to always shut both gates so they couldn’t escape. When the last car was leaving the girl suddenly remembered she forgot her bathing suit in the back yard and ran to get it. The next morning I let the dogs out and when I called them back in, neither came in. I stepped out back and my daughter’s dog kept bumping my left leg as I was calling them to come in. He was directing me to go to the gate area and I realized she hadn’t shut either gate. My dog, Joey, of course saw it as a freedom run and had taken off. I got my daughter and grandson and we went on the hunt. Joey was still young enough where he responded to commands (a trait he “lost” later in life) and after several minutes came waltzing around the corner 3 houses up and we were able to catch him. It always amazed me how they would “tell” on each other!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Interesting. I never knew they would do this. It gives me a whole new respect for their mental abilities.
tkstarr117gmailcom says
James is the main parent of Mavis. They sit together all the time. He feeds her (Hand feeds her) and she loves him. BUT if she is sitting by me while we watch tv and James gets up to go to bed and reaches over and happens to pat me on the knee she will snap at him. Don’t touch the momma.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
We’ve gone through that with Speck too. Oscar will give Vince “that look” and start puffing out his lips/cheeks so Vince knows he’s about to snap.