Theo is a wonderful dog. He's fun, playful, friendly, and for the most part well behaved. Husband and I often thank our lucky stars that we ended up with a dog with lots to offer in the brains, looks, and personality department. One thing Theo is not (generally) is affectionate. Before our heinous remodel began I often mentioned my precious morning couch time with Theo. It was precious because it was usually the only time in the day when Theo would be affectionate with me.By affectionate I mean letting me pet him as he lay next to me rather than moving 2 feet away where I couldn't reach him. Or sleeping with his head on my legs or feet, rather than sleeping where I am in view but not close enough for touch. Usually that is Theo's thing. He likes to be able to see me, to be close to me, but usually not actually being touched by me. He's the kind of dog that doesn't like being scratched behind the ears because it means he'd have to sit still. He doesn't like belly rubs because it means I'm focusing on petting him rather than playing fetch with him. That's just Theo. He loves people, loves being around them, but just not into being pet.
While that's mostly still true, I've noticed Theo has been a lot more affectionate lately. Last night Theo was sleeping in our office while Husband and I sat at our desks. My chair was turned out towards the room because I was reading. Theo was sleeping behind Husband's chair when all of a sudden he got up, walked over to me, laid down on my foot, and went back to sleep. He never sleeps that close to me! Better yet, after awhile my foot got tired of being in that position so I moved it. Theo woke up, lifted his head, and gave me the grumpiest, dirtiest look. Adorable! It wasn't until I put my foot back next to him that he laid back down and went back to sleep. Then this morning as Husband and I were driving him to doggy daycare before heading to work I casually rubbed the back of his ears because I was checking for any dry skin (Theo had fleas last week (that's another post), and his flea bath left some residue or something behind his head). Apparently Theo loved it. As soon as I did it his eyes closed, his tongue went out, and his head went up. I stopped for a minute and then did it again, and the "oh yeah" expression came back on his face. It was hilarious! I rubbed his ears the rest of the car ride, and I loved it.
I think the reason for all this sudden affection is probably related to stress from the remodel. We had to move everything upstairs (including Theo!) the weekend before last. He didn't like losing his play space anymore than I did. Whatever the reason I'm loving the new affectionate Theo, and I hope he stays this way!
4 comments:
We have two rescue corgis. One is extremely affectionate, loves to be cuddled and follows you around. The other is just how you described Theo, watchful, active, involved, but not affectionate. I think it's just luck of the draw. It's fortunate in our case that only one is demanding of attention. Two would be too much and could lead to bickering between the two of them (I think).
:-)
Could very well be stress related. I've found that dogs are surprisingly in tune with emotional ebbs and flows of their humans. And remodeling is super stressful.
(Totally unrelated, but responding to your comment on one of my blog posts, HS reunions are surprisingly expensive. I think if I'd gone the entire night would've set me back at least $100. Maybe not a lot in the grand scheme but seemed entirely unnecessary in light of the fact that I didn't really like my HS.)
eikoleigh, it sounds like you have a good mix! Theo is already pretty demanding for our attention, so I can't even imagine how he'd be if he was cuddly too! Hehe. I talked to a breeder before I got Theo who had placed two neutered litter-mate males together, and they had the issue you mentioned. They both wanted so much attention that it lead to jealousy and fighting between them. They actually had to re-home one of the dogs! Terrible.
Flanthrower, I think it's definitely stress related. His own stress as well as picking up on ours. Hopefully we can all get back to normal too.
$100 for what, a dinner and dance type thing? I didn't much like my high school either, so I would have chosen the same as you. :)
Theo really is growing up and quite a handsome dog he's grown to be. My, what a difference it is from a puppy.
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