Yeah, i know what you mean, Dogster! My Buddy also grooms his toys, gnawing off imaginary fleas, which i do think cleans his teeth. I think that is why his teeth gleam, is the gnawing on his toys.
Buddy also has a small group of tiny toys, which we call his "babies". He grooms them a lot, and licks them, and nuzzles them, and carries them around in his mouth now and then, sets them down and gazes at them lovingly, as if they are moving. He keeps his "babies" upstairs, on his upstairs bed. If we take one, and bring it downstairs (HE can do that, be we can't) Buddy will quickly put that baby back upstairs on his upstairs bed, where it belongs.
Girlfriend Bear lives on his downstairs bed most of the time, if he is not fighting with her or humping her. When Buddy humps his giant Girlfriend Bear, i say "Buddy's sexy!"
and now, if i say "Buddy's sexy!" he will run over and begin to hump his girlfriend bear. MOST USELESS TRICK EVER..........
Buddy is one quirky dog. He has some hardfast rules on his toys. NO toys in the kitchen, ever. If we put a toy in the kitchen, he removes it.
His favorite toys that he plays with daily,
every single day,
many many times a day,
are his laundry baskets.
He has 3 indoor ones,
and 3 outdoor ones.
Buddy knows which baskets are HIS, and which ones are ours, although, i do catch him admiring my laundry baskets now and then...
I know i've told this before, but it is still amazing to me.
If we move an indoor basket outdoors, or vice versa, Buddy notices this right away, and puts the baskets back they belong and appears annoyed about the wrong re-arrangment of his flock. Buddy can tell the laundry baskets apart! then Buddy looks at us as if we are brats. Buddy has rules on most everything.
He HERDS THESE plastic laundry baskets, allllllll over the house,
or all over the yard.
for hours.
He head-butts them around and around and around...........for long time. Indoor or outdoors. His steering is actually very impressive, he can run that basket, full speed, right up to the table and at last moment, turn it just enough it won't hit the table.
or buddy drags them in his mouth, too.
He even stalks them, sneaking up on the baskets in true border-collie style, slowly walking up to the baskets, with his head held low....slinking along, sneaking up on his baskets...then he often attacks them, barking and rolling around with a basket. It's crazy. Sometimes he chews up the edges, but always spits out the plastic. He gets on them, in them, just has a great time. WE think that Buddy thinks his baskets are fake sheep.
Buddy moves one basket to a new spot, and then goes back to get basket #2, and finally, basket #3, and bunches them up all together,
and then he sits there, watching them, and looking around, Buddy looks very pleased with himself, panting and catching his breath...
then he hops up, and does it alll over again, moving the "sheep" to some new spot. Over and over, for hours.
New visitors to our house or yard, always ask, "What's with all these laundry baskets?"
We praised this behavior, when he does it. We think it is good for him, but we notice many of our visitors seem put off about a dog head-butting a laundry basket full speed through the room, over and over, and over,
but we find it entertaining. I'm sure Buddy would stop if i asked him to, but i think it's cute.
and almost every night, Buddy, without ever being taught to, puts away his "sheep". He takes them, one by one, and shoves them under the dining room table, as best as he can.
No idea why, but he does, as if putting the "sheep" to bed. We don't much use our dining room, so maybe that is why he chose that room, it is the quietest room in the house.
who knows.
but, it still amazes he does this, even after all these years. He'll play with a basket til it is in tatters, and then we get him new ones, WHAT a happy day THAT is!
