Resource guarding revisited

Last week, I lamented about Lilly’s penchant for turning into a mean, rotten girl when other dogs get close to her darling daddy. There are certain toys that might cause a similar reaction in the wrong circumstances, especially if they involve food — like a rawhide or a stuffed kong. But, the other day, Lilly and Ginko enjoyed a bit of chewing fun practically side by side. Take a look.

I love the body language here. See how each one is curved away from the other. This is doggy speak for “Even though I’m right here, I mean no harm.”

It’s not that they won’t growl at one another over a chew toy like this. Ginko likes to wait for Lilly to soften one end, then he’ll try to steal it. But, she’s no dummy. It takes guile. He often pretends to see something interesting out the window. When Lilly’s concentration breaks and she moves away, he’ll sneak in and steal it. When she realizes she’s been duped, then she races off to find his to take.

Most times that works, but occasionally, Ginko tucks one under his armpit and chews the other.

But, this day, they chewed themselves silly … side by side.

And, while I’m bragging, I just have to say — don’t their coats look super shiny? I suspect it helps that they’re mostly black, so the shine really shows.