Tug of War

I've had dogs before, but only small ones.  I've had cute little fluffy dogs that like to sit on your lap, be petted and are generally sweet when they're not barking at people at the door.   I've had my share of "yappy" dogs in my time.   Our dog now is a completely different sort.  

She's larger by far, at thirty-five pounds than any dog I've ever had.   She is very gentle and loves attention.  I don't think we could have picked a better dog for our family—specifically for my daughter.   She will let you grab her, roll her over, snuggle her, and basically do anything you want to her physically without a complaint.   She has never once complained about the physical attention she receives, even though I worry she's being treated in a way that's controlling by my daughter.

She likes to spend time on the bed with us at night, but only some, preferring to spend the majority of the night in her cage or lying with her face against the air vent whenever cool air is coming out.   She always greets us as though we've been away for an eon, even if it was only for a short jaunt to the grocery store.

You can touch any part of her body without her minding.   She lets me groom her, trimming her hair wherever needed, including getting matted bits out with uncomfortable brushing and cutting if necessary.  She sits still with scissors right in front of her face as I cut the hair around her eyes so she can see better.

She listens to any commands I give her, something she's done since we sent her to training.   From time to time I need to remind her of her training by putting the collar on her for a day, but for the most part, she isn't a defiant dog at all, complying to any and all commands, even if there is something enticing or exciting she wants to see.

And she does something else I've never had a dog do—she fetches.   My prior dog was small and would have liked to fetch only she had dislocating knees as a juvenile and had to have significant surgery on both legs to keep her kneecaps in place.   This limited her ability to run and jump.   She also didn't have much interest in chasing after things or returning anything thrown.

Matisse loves fetch.   It took a bit to train her to drop the ball or stick in order to have it thrown again.   This is something she does well with me, but not with the rest of the family as they haven't spent as much time with her on this game.   She also loves to play tug of war.  

I love this game with her and am amazed at the strength of her bite as well as the carefulness with which she plays the game.  She will bring a stick to me in her mouth and hold it out, waiting for me to grab both sides.   She holds on to the stick, repositing to get it so she has a good grip and then we play tug.   I pick her up and spin her around, listening to her growl in play.   When she releases the stick after having enough of the tug game I throw it.   She brings it back, ready for another go.

I've had so much fun, watching her run at top speed to fetch balls and sticks.   She's a much bigger dog than I've ever had, but she's a perfect size, I've decided.   I don't know how we lucked out with such a gentle and understanding dog, but we did.   I wasn't sure we wanted to get a family dog.  Now, I can't imagine our house without Matisse in it.

The Big Boy Update:  We've been lazy this weekend.  I'm still in my pajamas this evening as I write this.   My son, screen time returned after several days without, played a game on his iPad beside me as I played the same game: Cell to Singlarity.  It' a game of evolution.   He and I are having fun seeing who can evolve the most things together.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  We opened a window in our bedroom to talk to our neighbor yesterday who was lounging on a hammock swing she'd put up between two trees.  My daughter wanted to climb out the window and then found out where the window was in relation to the perimeter of the house.  This is something we can see, but she had to experience it.  Today, she walked around the house, behind the bushes, until she found the window and then knocked to be let in.   Tonight she wants to find the window to the bathroom so she can climb in at the tub for her bath.