In another thread a few of us talked about "social eating" - I've never left a bowl of food out for my dog to choose when to eat, so I can't vouch for that.
But I can give her a meaty bone outside and she will clean all the meat off of it while I'm gone. The bone is good for chewing/gnawing for a couple days but she's not allowed to bring it in the house (raw bone). If I sit on the porch, she will work on it for as long as I'm out there. If I go inside, she drops it instantly and stares in the door and even if she stays out, she won't go back to chewing the bone.
The other social-only thing is her blanket. She grabs it up, shakes it hard, lays on her bed and works it around her left front leg and then holds the blanket and leg together in her mouth for 5 or 10 minutes. She doesn't suckle or chew, just holds it and blisses out. She won't do this except on her living room bed when I'm sitting in there, or if I'm at the dining table within eyesight, or in my bedroom on my bed. Her crate is next to the bed and she has a choice of either place to sleep, but she only does her blanket thing on my bed, never even takes it to her crate bed. And again, she won't do this at all unless I lay on the bed in the afternoon to read or when I get in bed for the night. It is clearly a company-only thing. I've left her for hours in the house alone and the blanket is right where it was when I left.
OK, your turn! What little quirk does your Dobie have that's social only?
But I can give her a meaty bone outside and she will clean all the meat off of it while I'm gone. The bone is good for chewing/gnawing for a couple days but she's not allowed to bring it in the house (raw bone). If I sit on the porch, she will work on it for as long as I'm out there. If I go inside, she drops it instantly and stares in the door and even if she stays out, she won't go back to chewing the bone.
The other social-only thing is her blanket. She grabs it up, shakes it hard, lays on her bed and works it around her left front leg and then holds the blanket and leg together in her mouth for 5 or 10 minutes. She doesn't suckle or chew, just holds it and blisses out. She won't do this except on her living room bed when I'm sitting in there, or if I'm at the dining table within eyesight, or in my bedroom on my bed. Her crate is next to the bed and she has a choice of either place to sleep, but she only does her blanket thing on my bed, never even takes it to her crate bed. And again, she won't do this at all unless I lay on the bed in the afternoon to read or when I get in bed for the night. It is clearly a company-only thing. I've left her for hours in the house alone and the blanket is right where it was when I left.
OK, your turn! What little quirk does your Dobie have that's social only?
Ok, tough guy.
. Something she started when we were camping and I would throw her ball for her while I was packing up in the morning. Those walloping big feet of hers can send stuff flying!
. I think I posted a video once; but here it is again - 
