Beau Gets to Feed
As we continue to have Beau be part of our family, we keep ‘testing’ to determine what sort of behavior his forever family could expect. So, I decided to eat my dinner in front of him and even leave some food on the counter to determine if he was going to beg, bug, or counter surf.
So, I made some carne asad tacos. Of course, I had some some cilantro and onions, refried beans, and a good salsa. All very aromatic to a Belgian. I left my plate and all the goodies on the counter and walked away. Beau, who had been milling around, went to investigate. I watched from a distance giving him room and no pressure.
He looked. He paced. He stopped. He looked at the food again. He even got close enough to the counter to smell the tempting food……but never attempted to come up off of his front legs. I walked back and without a word, picked up my food and sat down at our little cafe table where I normally have my laptop.
Once again, he came around sniffing and pacing. He was a little more insistent this time since I was now around. He obviously remembered that when foster daddy has food, he often will be treated if he does something. Well, he didn’t do anything but he did lay down at my feet. Definitely too low to treat. So I waite and once he came up in a sit I congratulated him on his sit and gave him a ‘treat’. He then became insistent for more - now was my opportunity. I gave him a firm “No” and a small push/redirection. He understood! He immediately walked away, grabbed a stuffed toy and began playing by himself.
One small lesson learned/one more trait and behavior observed!