Pushy pushy

What a face.  Honestly he is such a doll; just a pushy doll and I ADORE him.  :)

Well here I lie in my bed and I've got bloggers block.  I've asked Luke several times to please give me a topic but he's ignoring me.  He chewed his nails for a bit but now he's gone to sleep; both Jessie and Tilley are long gone.  But; now that I think of it Luke has perhaps given me a topic, demanding behaviors.  When has a cute cookie asking behavior gone too far?  Well........tonight it went too far and I had to step in.  I made Luke a batch of his favorite cookies today; peanut butter.  He has recently decided that he really enjoys a cookie at bedtime.  He ever so cutely goes to the jar and stares at it, cute right?  Maybe, maybe not.

This is where it becomes complicated.  Luke is a skinny minny so when we can get some food into him we do.  With this recent bedtime cookie thing he has been pushing it a bit.  Last night he got his cookie then got down off the bed and stared at the jar again.  So my husband gave him more which is where I said "no" and I was ignored.  Hmmmmmmmm.  I could tell that Luke was in a mood, a pushy mood.  Every so often he get's something in his little head that says "I should see how far I can push?"  No sooner had he finished his second round of cookies and he was down staring at the jar again; this time I said "no, he is getting to pushy."  So no cookie.

He got back on the bed and lay down; but I could see his little brain on overdrive.  I said out loud; "he's in a weird pushy mood tonight."  As soon as it was out of my mouth and he hopped off the bed and stood over Tilley.  Tail up, on his tip toes, neck arched stomping all over her while she was trying to sleep.  Idiot.  I yelled at him to knock it off and go lie down which he did immediately and showed obvious signs of "okay, too far."
With the wind taken out of his sails he went to sleep and we had no more.

So; this second round of cookies was just enough to pump him, get him pounding his chest sort of.  You know; the give'm an inch scenario.  Luke is a pushy type of dog so it is very important to watch and see what is going on in his head.  Given too much of a good thing turns into a bad thing.  Tilley on the other hand can ask for cookies and receive them forever without ever inflating her head.  She is simply not that type of dog.  Sure she may ask more often if it always works but it doesn't lead to other pushy behaviors as in Luke's case.

Knowing your dogs personality and temperament type is extremely important when you are setting boundaries and making rules.  Luke has a bucket load of rules that the girls have never had.   He is a very good boy and does not like to get into trouble ever; but it is in his nature to try to be the boss.  Being that the position is already filled; we keep him in check by not catering to his every whim.  So we are changing the new little bedtime ritual that he likes so much; he'll get his cookies but only when we decide he get's them.  With only a few days of asking and receiving it quickly got out of control with him.