Give the dog a bone

Do you buy bones for your dogs? Our grocery store meat shop sells knuckle bones labeled "soup bones" and our dogs love them. Unfortunately I have one dog who can't have them often because she eats the whole thing and it turns her innards to concrete. I let her chew for a little while, then take the bone away.

So what about those rawhide bones? My three dogs each have a different approach. Ralphie eats his right away - the whole thing. Pepper chews and chews and chews... working on it for hours. And then there's Suzie. I think she doesn't really like them, but she's not willing to share. So she carries hers around and guards it all day.

Once a few years ago, before Pepper came to live with us, she and Ralph each had a rawhide chewy. Ralph went right to work eating his and Suzie laid down beneath a tree with hers between her feet. When Ralph was finished he went over and asked her to play - no way. She had to stay and guard that chewy. Several times that afternoon he tried to get her to leave it and play with him, but she refused.

That evening when we all went into the house I took it away from her and put it up for the night. Then she went to Ralph and wanted to play. He just looked at her and turned his back - we could almost hear him saying to he-- with you! He was miffed and made no bones about it!

It took a couple of days before the two of them started acting like friends again.

It's pretty funny when dogs behave like immature humans.