Lately Rio has masterminded her own “diversion” just after her dinner and bully stick, just when I am ready to call it a day and relax.
So here is what she does: She will let herself out via the doggie door to the back porch and either lie around taking in the last rays of sun or she will begin to bark at the sound of either a car passing by or even an imaginary sound. As she is barking or howling she stands in front of the double-glass doors facing the inside and looking for Deuce who is most likely just lying down and relaxing or lying down next to his ball in hopes that someone will have mercy on him and give it a kick.
Rio will continue to egg Deuce on. And depending on his mood is what determines if he will ignore her or go outside and join her in whatever imaginary adventure she has cooked up for that particular evening.
Now, here is a big difference between the two of them: If Deuce feels there is something worth his bark and pursuit he just goes - Rio or no Rio in tow. Rio, on the other hand, waits and “calls” for backup. His backup, of course, is Deuce.
Depending on what I am doing and how tired I am, I either laugh at Rio’s manipulative tactics and give her some barking time, or I call her back in so that she does not continue driving everyone crazy with her Beagle sounding howl.
The way I see it, there are a few explanations for Rio’s behavior.
While I don’t see much wrong here, I'd rather not have Rio getting into the habit of barking at the slightest sound heard.
While her getting all-worked-up over nothing is part of Rio’s temperament it is also the case that the more she (or any dog, person, etc.) practices something, the more permanent the behavior will be.
For this reason, I call her or both of them in (when Deuce has joined in) after a few minutes of barking and I take the opportunity to work on their recall. Depending on how long it takes them to come in (we are talking seconds here) determines what kind of treat they get. Once inside, their doggy-door privileges are over for the remainder of the evening and quiet reigns again!
So here is what she does: She will let herself out via the doggie door to the back porch and either lie around taking in the last rays of sun or she will begin to bark at the sound of either a car passing by or even an imaginary sound. As she is barking or howling she stands in front of the double-glass doors facing the inside and looking for Deuce who is most likely just lying down and relaxing or lying down next to his ball in hopes that someone will have mercy on him and give it a kick.
Rio will continue to egg Deuce on. And depending on his mood is what determines if he will ignore her or go outside and join her in whatever imaginary adventure she has cooked up for that particular evening.
Now, here is a big difference between the two of them: If Deuce feels there is something worth his bark and pursuit he just goes - Rio or no Rio in tow. Rio, on the other hand, waits and “calls” for backup. His backup, of course, is Deuce.
Depending on what I am doing and how tired I am, I either laugh at Rio’s manipulative tactics and give her some barking time, or I call her back in so that she does not continue driving everyone crazy with her Beagle sounding howl.
The way I see it, there are a few explanations for Rio’s behavior.
- Lack of confidence: Plain and simple. She wants to go “investigate” and/or create a racket but she does not feel secure enough to do it on her own.
- Rio and Deuce really begin “best buddies” and as best buddies, they like to have the other partake in fun “stuff”.
- Rio, unlike me, is not yet done with her day so she finds a way to entertain herself and Deuce.
While I don’t see much wrong here, I'd rather not have Rio getting into the habit of barking at the slightest sound heard.
While her getting all-worked-up over nothing is part of Rio’s temperament it is also the case that the more she (or any dog, person, etc.) practices something, the more permanent the behavior will be.
For this reason, I call her or both of them in (when Deuce has joined in) after a few minutes of barking and I take the opportunity to work on their recall. Depending on how long it takes them to come in (we are talking seconds here) determines what kind of treat they get. Once inside, their doggy-door privileges are over for the remainder of the evening and quiet reigns again!
