What is it about the Bully Stick that just sends these boys into complete rapture – moaning and talking to the treat, totally oblivious to everything else that is going on, totally engrossed in the job at hand.
I still remember the first time that we gave Tucker a Bully Stick – we had taken him to a show about an hour away from home, he spent the day being a great boy, showing beautifully and just being a love. We saw the Bully Sticks that were for sale at the show and decided to buy him one for the ride home. At that time he rode in his crate on long drives, and so he settled into the crate, having no idea what we were going to give him.
As you can guess, the ride home was filled with the sounds of Tuck moaning and groaning as he got to know what a Bully Stick was. Nancy and I were laughing as we listened to him eat away at that treat and we have never forgotten the sound of Tucker and his first Bully treat. The first Bully Stick lasted quite a few days, but as he figured out the way to devour them, they lasted no more than an hour.
This was the first Bully Stick that we had given Oliver, and after taking his treat off to a safe location he spent a few hours enjoying the stick, while always keeping an eye on Bodi to make sure that he kept his distance.
Bodi has had the pleasure of the treats before, and being Bodi, he knows he can dust one in about half an hour, and then he will spend the rest of the time that (either Tucker) or Oliver finishes eating their treats walking around at a distance staring at the treat to see if it ever leaves the watchful eyes of its owner. Of course, we always keep an eye on Bodi as well to make sure that he understands that he must allow the owner to finish his own treat.
So, half the fun of giving the Bully Stick is watching the complete enjoyment of the boys as they finish them off, and the other half, is the calm that settles in as they get lost in their treats and we enjoy a nice afternoon outdoors.
Long live the Bully Stick…
3 Responses
I love hearing stories like this. To see a dog in such a relaxed and calm state is why I work with dogs. It shows that the owners have a deep understanding of what it takes to have a happy,healthy and well balanced dog.Keep up the good work. I invite you to have a look at my dog training tips community. You will find valuable articles,videos,and even a free e-book on how to be your dogs leader and stop problem behavior.
Thank you for your kind words… These dogs become a part of your life, as they all should.
Will check out your site – thanks for the comments
GREAT story! Good memories 🙂 You have such amazing dogs, and from reading this, I could tell how much you care for them. My lab has a sensitive stomach so it was hard to find some dog treats that she can eat. I tried many types, and she loved bully sticks! I bought her some of the braided bully sticks at preenpets.com, and it kept her busy for a while 🙂 Thank you for sharing this wonderful story!