Inside Toys and Outside Toys
Lacey is now learning the word “outside”. The lamb leg bone and the cow bone that I’ve given her the last couple of days are outside toys (once the meat is gone).
Inside toys are any toys that are squishy, squeak, roll, clean up easily, or haven’t been outside already (or, for that matter, haven’t been inside another living being’s body). Basically, all of Lacey’s toys are inside toys, until she takes them outside. Then they have to go in the washer before they become inside toys again.
Bones are unquestionably outside toys. She can do whatever she likes with them outside.
She tries to bring them in the back door and lie on the rug just inside the door to chew on them. I KNOW she understand the subtle difference between lying on the rug inside the door and lying on the mat just outside the door, even though they are inches apart. She gets it.
As soon as I say, “Lacey, outside” she gets up, lowers her head and ears, and slumps out to the mat — a mere 6 inches away!! What is that — that she is determined to be inside rather than outside???
Goofy dog.
Anyway, she knows exactly what the word means now. The challenge is getting her to surrender to what she knows versus staying inside and trying to trump my alpha position.
We’re also working on “in the other room” because she’s always so underfoot in the kitchen.
My dog’s vocabulary is growing by the day.
I really do love this dog.
Anna