Wild and crazy

I was thinking about wild and crazy this morning; all my kids were home for dinner lastnight and it gets pretty wild with the bunch. And then lastnight Luke was in one of his moods when he likes to push everyone around, a poke was called for to bring him back to reality. One poke, one finger and he drops back down to the real world "oh ya Mom is the boss."

I have often been amongst a bunch of crazy dogs wrestling; whether it is a house pack or just a bunch of friends when one of the people watching will become upset. Humans tend to jump to conclusions and assume all is not well when there is alot of canine vocalizing and jumping about. Dogs can sound like a pile of grizzly bears when they are playing. And usually someone ends up on top with the other on the bottom getting the worst of it. It's all fun.

If you have ever seen a dog fight; a real dog fight, there is a big difference between overexcited playing and a fight. Having shown Irish Terriers for years which my sister bred; dogfights were very common. They are a firey breed, tenacious to say the least. And rarely does a fight break out during play, it happens but not often. Usually a fight starts out with posturing and if you were not paying close attention you may have missed the communications altogether.

But as far as playing goes; it can get wild and crazy and if you have never been witness to a good ole' brawl between dogs it can be a bit intimidating. I remember when Tilley and Luke use to play fight; doesn't happen that often anymore and if it does it is for a fleeting moment. Tilley use to be able to beat the crap out of Luke; she would run at him with full power slamming him into the couch or knocking him off his feet. He use to be quite intimidated by her strength and ability to send him flying. I often wondered if the neighbors thought someone was being killed at our house.

Dogs ask one another if they'd like to play but not the way we do; it is all body language. If the answer comes back no then they should go play with someone else. Not all dogs are great at reading communications and there are also dogs who are obnoxious in their pushy behaviors so it is important to know if you have one of these types and keep them in line. Or someone just might beat the crap out of them.

But if the answer is yes, then it's on. And there is nothing more fun to watch than dogs in full play.