Sticks!
It is a fact universally acknowledged that dogs enjoy sticks or things that resemble sticks. They like to chase and retrieve them, or chew them, or guard them, or play tug of war with them, or simply lie on them and go to sleep.
Many dogs will seek out a stick as soon as their paws touch the forest floor, and the bigger it is, the better. Roxy Labrador picks up a stick the minute she gets out of the car.
Dogs will navigate gateways and narrow paths with sticks that are much longer than it would be thought possible to manoeuvre. Cariadd Dalmatian used to carry sticks that looked more like telegraph poles.
Some dogs are possessive about their sticks and will not relinquish them. Arthur Cocker Spaniel loves to play the ‘Is that my . . . ?’ game. He will not give up his stick or toy until he is ready. He makes lots of noise, but he is the sweetest little dog.
Sam Jack Russell insisted on taking his sticks into the back of the car and would not release them until he reached home. He and his sister, Daisy, played sticks with their mother, Biddy. The three of them ran along, two going forwards, one backwards. Biddy was also an accomplished tree climber.
Sticks and water go together. Labradors are persistent retrievers and bob their heads under water, looking and smelling for sticks that have sunk. Atavistic behaviour deep in the retriever memory from their origins, perhaps, from hauling in fishing nets in the chilly Newfoundland waters.
We always make sure that sticks are thick and long enough not to stick in the dogs’ mouths and throats. Mostly, we encourage our dogs to play with Kongs and balls, but sometimes, only a stick will do!
Tilly liikes to eat wood- how will that wreck her digestive system, I wonder.
ReplyDeleteA stick is just an older stem . . . believe that, if you will.
DeleteI know how dogs feel about sticks because I am just the same with "Twiglets".
ReplyDelete🤣😂
DeleteOne of my daughter's dogs loves picking up sticks when they go on a walk. She'd drag home half a tree if she could lol
ReplyDeleteThey can be extraordinarily persistent, can't they?
DeleteI don't remember our dogs ever having sticks, probably because we never threw sticks for them, we threw tennis balls and other toys.
ReplyDeleteVery sensible.🐶🐶
DeleteWe had a little dog, Ozzo, who appeared to be part Black Lab abd part Dachshund, and even though he stood around a foot tall, would chase and grab and bring back a four-foot-long stick! That was his greatest joy as a wee pup.
ReplyDeleteI have to wonder how such a mating came about . . . it will keep me amused for the rest of the day!
DeleteI didn't realize that sticks were so universally loved by dogs. We had a beagle/bluetick hound mix when I was growing up and I don't recall her ever having a stick. Then again, I can't remember what she used to be interested in, aside from cars and bicycles . . . and having her silky ears stroked :)
ReplyDeleteSilky ears are irresistible.🐶
DeleteI am always amused by a dog with a stick in its mouth trying to walk through a space that is narrower than the width of the stick. Some quickly problem solve, some not so quickly.
ReplyDeleteWe call it 'intelligence tests for dogs' . . . 😎
DeleteYou are such a prolific writer that you portrayed various dog breeds vividly
ReplyDeleteThank you! 😀
DeleteFergus is a ball (or egg or large plum) dog. He has been caught several times carrying a found hens egg carefully around in his mouth. There must be a hen laying somewhere outside the nest boxes and he knows where to find that egg each day.
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful. Lovely soft mouth. My eldest daughter's rescue dog, a bitser, would carry an egg without crushing it, too.
DeleteHope you find the hen and her nest.
Such a lovely post. I've never had a dog but have seen dogs on leads holding a stick very proudly. xx
ReplyDeleteThey're doing their bit for the owner's economy!
DeleteI can just let those dogs love their sticks when you throw them in the pond. Mostly I see dogs here at our local dog park where they're allowed to run loose inside a fenced area. And they're usually just chasing balls, or themselves.
ReplyDeleteThey never want to stop!
Delete3 of our 6 dogs were Stick Dogs... Beau and Big Boy, our last two I have never seen them chew on a stick. Max and Jake were just like what you describe. Jake carried logs around like they were sticks.. and both rather have a stick than any other toy.. Jake would chase any and all things that were tossed. the only time he laid down when outside was to chew a stick, he loved to taunt Baby by grabbing her stick and running with it
ReplyDeletePinching another dog's stick is the greatest fun!
DeleteWe had a neighbour whose dog, on the part of the walk back home, would have to carry his mitt.
ReplyDeleteThat's so sweet! (I know, gushy . . . )
DeleteGibbs isn't a big stick dog. He loves his orange ball though. Not the green one that is identical except for color. He wants the orange one.
ReplyDeleteThey are so funny when they have a decided preference.
DeleteA useful trait when you need kindling for the fire.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely - and that's what we use Roxy for!
DeleteThey do love sticks, such fun.. our Nell used to get a stick but we always tried to persuade her to leave it for a ball, but she loved her stick!
ReplyDeleteDogs can be most insistent.
DeleteThree of our six children have dogs and they all like sticks ... although they also enjoy chasing after a ball!
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
It's a great way to exercise dogs, too, though we have to be careful not to overdo it with them.
DeleteHappiness is a good stick. And if anyone irritates you, you can use it to smack them about the head and shoulders...
ReplyDelete🤣😂
DeleteIs there ever a problem breaking canine teeth when biting a rigid stick?
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of it, but I suppose it might happen. Dogs' teeth are strong. Antler chews can crack their teeth.
DeleteStill laughing after reading Yorkshire Pudding's comment. I can definitely relate :-) xxx
ReplyDeleteWitty, eh? 😉
DeleteThere is a subreddit on Reddit dedicated just to sticks.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing a dog with a good stick, especially if they have the purpose of a branch manager.
Ha ha!
DeleteOlive loves sticks. Whenever we go for a walk and she finds a stick to carry she is ecstatic and walks with it proudly as long as she can! It is so interesting to me, as none of my toy fox terriers EVER expressed an interest in sticks! Olive makes me smile.
ReplyDeleteShe's fulfilling her purpose in life, to make you smile. 😀
DeleteWhat a lovely post. On my way home today I passed a lady waiting to cross the road, she had a small terrier type dog and a large Alsation with a HUGE stick in his mouth. I wondered if he had picked it up on a walk and was taking it home, or kept it at home and was taking to the walk 😊
ReplyDeleteHow lovely! Dogs look so proud and pleased with themselves when they carry things.
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