Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Goody Four-Paws
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Goody Four-Paws
I must admit, in Benjamin's old age he has become quite a rule follower. When he was a pup I thought he would be impossible to train. But once he learned a command, he really mastered it. Henry would always learn a new command or trick first, but you could always count on Benny to perfect it.
Take the command "come" for example. Henry learned it way before Benny even had a remote clue of what we were trying to get him to do. But call out the word "Come" at some random point in the day and you will get Henry about 80% of the time. Benny, on the other hand, will run over, full steam ahead, every time. Without fail.
The other night I had a good laugh at Benny and his follow the rules self. We were going out, so I told the pugs to go to bed. They ran off to their crates and I was giving Benny his treat for going to bed when we fumbled the exchange and the treat bounced onto the floor and about a foot away from Benny's crate.
The crate door was still open and being the treat lover that he is, Benjamin craned his neck as far out from the crate door as he possible could, but there was no way he was going to be able to reach the treat. He stepped as far forward as he possible could in his crate and craned his head out the door one more time to try and reach the treat. Again, the treat was too far away.
Then he looked up at me with a look of sheer panic on his face. In his compartmentalized, command filing brain, he knew he needed to be in his crate to be eligible to receive a go to bed treat. If he left his crate, he couldn't eat the treat. A true conundrum for rule following Benny.
Meanwhile, I am watching all of this unfold and I am shocked. I knew that he was a stickler for the rules, but even this is surprising me because food is involved and Benny is all about rounding up fallen kibble.
So, I told him to go "take it." He looked at me and again I told him to "take it." He ran out of his crate, grabbed the treat and then ran back into his crate as fast as his little legs could take him. I closed the crate door and he settled with a look of relief and a touch of guilt on his face.
For all his crazy antics, Benny is a very straight-laced pug. He takes the rules very seriously.
22 Comments
Benjamin, I just love you. The look on all of their faces in this picture is just priceless…all conveying such their own thoughts. You’re such a good boy Benny…I wish everybody could follow rules as well as you…the world would be a better place! This was a great story to start the day.
awe…sweet benny. that is so cute! b/c of his actions, i would have wanted to give him a few more treats b/c he had followed the rules. awe.
With the look of adoration Benny is bestowing on you, you must have a treat sticking out of your mouth. He seems to be saying, “Pleeeeeassse.”
Pug Hug,
Abby & Huckle
Yes, what a great and endearing story about sweet Benny. He truly wants to please even if it means not getting his treat without your permission. My Romeo would NEVER be that good.
Bravo Benny!! If people were Benny-like, Heather you hit it-the world would be a better place! Can we clone Benny? All the kids are sooo awesome and dare I say this was a great way to start the day! Thanks Corrine for sharing each day! Pug-hugs to all from the COlorado 3(and maybe more?)
Sue S…what secret are you hiding up your sleeve?!? Is their a new puggie baby joining your pack?!?!?! Spill it!
Wow, I’m impressed…The only command I can get C.J. and Toeby to do is sit, and they only do that when they feel like it! Maybe as they get older?
Awwwwww! Benny, you just kill me! I love everything about you, Mr. Handsome Wrinkles. He reminds me of my Klaus in so many ways. I’ll tell Klaus to “go lay down” in his bed before I leave, and he usually goes right away…but sometimes he likes to pretend to be naughty, and he’ll play bow and wrooo at me and slap his paws on the floor, as though he’s going to play chase/hard to get. This only lasts about 5 seconds before he scampers directly to his bed. He can’t stand to break the rules for long.
I think he lives to be told he’s a good boy, haha.
I love the story and picture Benny is so good my five wont do tricks but when I go out or feed them they are trained to go to there crate cause they know food is involved I have managed to get abby to sit for a treat the others just look at me like I am crazy
Think I could borrow Benny for a few days to train Otis? I swear on my life, he’s sharp as marbles.
Benny is so adorable, I just love his little smooshy face.
aaww Baby Benny, I love you sooo much. Maybe there is hope for Mr. Skittles !!
Benny: “Shake? Yes, maam, right away! Anything else, maam?”
Henry and Luna: “Geez, Ben, you’re such a brown-noser. Give it a rest would ya’? You’re makin’ the rest of us look bad.”
Corrine I wanted to share this with you I ordered to of the freedon harness from h. Doodle a red and pink I got them I love them well I ordered the pink one for Emma I went to put it on her yesterday as she had to go to the groomers to have her nails done it wouldnt fit my little Emma has put to much weight on so abby gets the pink one and I had to order Emma a new one and miss Emma is now on a diet
Aww Benny your so cute,
Love
Manda and Oisín
x
OH Benny not only are you beautiful and smart and knowing that you are so loved that Mom will give you a way to get your treat and still be good is great.
Sue - Tell Emma not to feel bad. Those harnesses are cut a little small
. The second set you ordered are on the way. I think Emma will find these a better fit. Thanks for shopping at H. Doodle 
Sue, I don’t know how big your Emma is, but my Romeo is a big pug and I have found the Puppia harness works much better for him. The Freedom harness did not fit him at all at the biggest size.
Such a funny story
Benny, you’re such a good boy! Love the picture of them; they are all just too cute!
My Annabelle is a rule follower too like Benny. So much so that when she sees one of her pug sibs breaking the rules, she has to alert me
She’s my little tattle tale 
Oh my, this story just melts my heart! Baby Benny is such a sweet, sweet boy! He just loves you so much and wants to be Corrine’s good boy!
And Sue, yes, please be sure to tell Emma not to feel bad! When I was trying to figure out what size to buy my Bennie, I came to realize that he has a giant pug head! Oh how I love his giant head, too!!
Benny, your eye focus is amazing!!! Keep it up, beautiful guy:-) (But, I am still glad Luna won the race, cuz well, girls rule!!!)
Sue VDB thanks all four of the other pugs fit in the freedom harness but little miss Emma well guess she is a little over weight so I did order her the puppia on extra large but she is still on a diet I was really shocked when I took her to the groomers which is at my vet I put her on the scale she is 24 pounds I could not believe it I want to get her down to 19 or 20 to be healthy
Abby needs to go on a diet too:-( Pugs, whose first love is food, saying the word diet is a very, very hard thing. She is pushing 24 lbs too, but ya know, after seeing her around the zillions of other pugs at Milwaukee Pugfest last weekend, even if she was skin and bones, she would still be much taller and longer than most of the other pugs we saw. I keep wondering if she has a bottomed out metabolism from my giving her less active Iams for most of her life, before we switched to the senior variety?