Dogs and Chicken Bones

Today I brought Drap inside to begin doing my weekend observation since it's a bit too cold and dark outside. My mom and myself are eating chicken and Drap is doing anything that he possibly can to get our attention. He starts his begging by applying his face on my knees I wont deny it he looks adorable (I wont give in). I didn't give in but I can't say the same for my mom. My mom gave Drap some left over chicken bones and as I'm watching him attack the chicken bones I notice that he doesn't eat the biggest bone until he is completely done eating the little ones. He literally saved the best for last (I laugh a little), I laugh because I remember that I do the exact same thing when I'm enjoying a meal.

 Drap finishes eating what is left of the bones and once he is utterly done with the bones he looks back at me and my mom with his puppy dog eyes.

               (Drap is currently looking at a piece of chicken).

I know for a fact he wont be getting any chicken bones from me so I suggest my mom doesn't give him any as well. I don't want Drap eating these bones because I have heard that chicken bones are not healthy for dogs. Of course I'm not certain that chicken bones can harm a dog because I personally have never seen a dog choke on this type of bone before. For this being I decided to do some research on the consequences that result when a dog has or is in the process of consuming chicken bones. I go onto the website dogs.lovetoknow.com where I'm instantly introduced to the topic I have concerns about. This website consists of the cons resulting when a dog feeds on chicken bones. The first thing that captures my attention is that sharp bones can injure a dog's mouth (Kelly Roper). So this means to tell me that my dog's mouth can be injured by a tiny bone (he chews on the biggest pieces of wood)! As I continue reading I come across a good point being that a chicken bone can cause constipation and even obstructions along the digestive tract. I've decided that both of my dogs will no longer be fed chicken bones because this not only hurts their mouth it also affects them internally. 

Works Cited

"Kelly Roper: Dogs and Chicken Bones." TED. Jan . 2006. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.

Chewing

I'm outside beginning my observations. I notice that Drap's intending to get food but Oso is present therefore, poor Drap is struggling to eat.  I mentioned this before but I'll say it again Oso doesn't allow Drap to eat anything. Drap begins eating (It's about time) but as soon as he gets the second bite in Oso slams him on the ground beside the dog food. I step in and begin chasing Oso off of Drap with a broom. I take into consideration that Oso is getting exhausted because I continuously block him anytime he gets too close to Drap so we go back and forth. I believe Oso took  the hint  (he can't get near Drap as long as I'm present), because now he took off with a wooden stick and into Drap's dog house he goes. It seems as if he's throwing a tantrum. I'm letting him because I would do the same if I were in his situation. He didn't get what he wanted so he's isolating himself the typical immature move. I'll let him be for a few minutes now lets see what Drap is up to. 

Drap is currently at a corner in our backyard where the wooden logs are located and he seems fairly distracted by the logs. I say he seems distracted because his eyes are set directlyon the log he is biting and no where else. I wonder why these two dogs are so fascinated by biting logs? This makes me think about them being in doors and how they would bite our furniture. It's a great thing that they're outside dogs. Since they have been doing this  (biting logs) for quite sometime now I've decided to do a little research on the motives for them chewing on wood. I'm on the website dogdaycare.com and I just came across a sentence that begins answering my question. It states that chewing is a natural behavior for dogs (Amy Brantley). This makes sense because dogs like humans need to have some type of behavior in order to investagate this world. Although dogs may demonstrate getting to know the world with different behaviors they still manage to and chewing on wood is one way, "...Dogs investigate the world with their mouths." Now that I've figured out that getting familiar with the world is a contributing factor for both of my dogs chewing on wood I want to figure out ways to prevent this. Yes my dogs may enjoy gnawing on wood but I'm aware of this being unhealthy. For this being, I continued reading and learned that providing chew treats and dog toys will eventually substitue their wood chewing habits. "The key is correcting your dog when she [or he] chews on wood, but praising her [or him] whe she [or he] chews on her [or his] toys," (Amy Brantley). 

Works Cited

"Amy Brantley: What Causes Puppies and Dogs to Chew Wood?." TED. n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.

Insights

This isn't one of the greatest ideas I've had in fact it's the complete opposite. I got ready to go somewhere but then it hit me that I need to begin my observation for the day. I got Oso out and I knew that it wasn't going to go too well because he enjoys jumping on people so much. What happens next is exactly what I expected to happen. Oso jumps on me from behind and Drap gives in as well it seems like they do this on purpose I yell at them but they don't get off and now that they have gotten off they're taking turns rubbing against my clothes. I try to get them both off of me but as soon I push Drap off Oso jumps in to finish the job and vice versa. Their actions today have reminded me of baby twins and how their parents can't finish doing something they have started because once one twin stops being an obstacle for the parent completeing a task  the other twin begins. Again Drap is rubbing up against my pants I used to think that only cats did these types of things but I thought wrong. Oso is beginning his non-sense what's new he always needs to show his superiority by fighting Drap and  Drap well he's contributing to this fight. They're now inside Drap's dog house fighting taking it to the dog house is becoming a habit for the two. I'm just waiting for one of them to remember that I'm out here. I really can't understand them one minute they're all over me and the next they're not it's clear they're giving me a  taste of my own medicine since I ignore them when they bother me they do the same in  return  without being aware of it. Okay I made eye contact with Oso now he is next to me. I'm almost certain Oso sees himself as a lap dog because he is constantly trying to sit on my lap. I've touched this topic before but it's very interesting to see that he sees himself as a small dog being the huge beast he is. If Oso acts like he's a small dog making me believe he thinks that way then do chihuahuas think they're huge because this would explain the reason behind them being so scandalous?

Both Oso and Drap are nibbling on cut up pieces of tree trunk that are lying around in our backyard and it looks quite painful. The way in which they attack the piece of tree trunk and shove as much of it as they can possibly fit into their mouths does not look healthy but they seem to be enjoying themselves so I'll let them. Oso has a piece of tree trunk in his mouth and now he is taking it into Drap's dog house. It's super strange how these dogs can get enormously gritty they both do this they get something and run off with it and into the dog house they go if not they simply run towards an isolated area. It appears that they fear the other will try to take away their possessions this is the reason they run. This brings back childhood memories when my brother and I would fight over toys and once one of us finally managed to get that toy we would run off to our play house that was located in our backyard as well. These memories get to me at times as they did today and I believe that dogs can sense when their loved ones are feeling down because both Drap and Oso got beside me the instant I sat down and these types of things fascinate me because I view dogs as something extremely similar to humans. Similar to humans dog's have the sixth sense when it comes down to understanding human emotions and they try to distinguish the difference between crying and humming out of curiosty ( "Stephanie Pappas ").

"Stephanie Pappas: Do dogs know when you're sad?" Jun. 2012. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.

Different Reactions

Drap is such a two face, one minute he's wagging his tail as I talk to him  and once anyone comes around with food he completely ignores me. In fact, when he's distracted by food he looks right through me.The moment he looks past me I try to do anything to get his attention because it annoys me when he ignores me. I usually just get in front of him every instant he trys to turn in a different direction  and pull on his cheeks like I did today. Of course this doesn't work instead I feel like I'm annoying him but that's okay. Absolutely nothing seems to work until I myself begin to eat snacks (cookies) to be exact. The other day I was eating soup and for some strange reason as I got up to do something I didn't think twice about leaving my food where it was in Drap's reach. Later that day when I went back to finish my food I noticed Drap was looking at me with such a guilty expression. Since he put the doleful look into action I knew right then and there that he had done something wrong. He ate the remainder of my food! It almost seems as if he places himself in the upset dog  posture to avoid confrontation because it appears he does this every time he's about to get yelled at.
Sometimes I wonder if my dogs understand me entirely when I give them commands because I consider them to be very intelligent well partially.

He's currently looking at a cookie.
I brought Drap eating human food up now it's time to talk about Oso eating human food. Any time Oso comes in contact with human food he attacks it with no hesitation and since Oso is a Rottweiler and Drap's a Pitbull I sometimes take into consideration if their dog breeds may impact their behavior. Then I begin to really think about it and I make the connection that dogs are very similar to humans in certain aspects and realize that two dogs from the same breed can be very different from one another just like two humans from the same ethnicity can be different from each other.

He was getting ready to run.

What Defines A Dogs Personality?

Every single time I take Oso outside his dog kennel he runs to the side yard and urinates on the same exact spot which is located on our side fence ( He has marked his territory.)
Oso and Drap are fighting but this time they took their physical fight  to Drap's dog house.

At least they're showing a bit of decency by going to a private area to continue their non-sense. 

The other day I was desperately looking for Drap because he wasn't responding to his name. After constantly calling him and getting nothing  I decided to look for him and what I saw completely surprised me he was smelling Oso's face through Oso's front door. They remind me so much of a married couple because when they're together all they seem to do is fight and attack one another and when they're on their seperate ways they act like they want to attack eachother with kisses or in this case with licks. 

Oso is tremendously afraid of sweepers and mops where as Drap doesn't pay much attention to them. I find this very interesting because Oso is a big dog and I can't really imagine him fearing things. This fear he has for the sweeper probably has to do with the fact that he feared the sweeper as a puppy I'm sure he feels tormented by it. On the contrary, I previously mentioned that Drap doesn't fear these types of obstacles but he does fear humans. Unlike, Oso who isn't afraid of going full on and attacking people Drap seems to be the type of dog who wouldn't dare to bite a person well that's how I see him but he may surprise me someday if the occassion rises. 

It's just amazing to be able to determine how animals themselves have different personalities. 

Drap comes off as a go the with flow type of dog. Oso can be defined as an over protecting dog.

Leader of the Pack

Oso is a dog with a very selfish character. It seems as if  his intention is to prevent Drap from eating absoutely anything in fact Oso makes it nearly impossible for Drap to eat his own food. I would understand if Oso got a little upset because Drap was eating his own food but that is not the situation here. Poor Drap seems so afraid when Oso approaches him even at a distance it's very clear to visualize that Drap fears Oso tremendously. Drap is actually beginning to get very skinny I feed him but Oso doesn't always give Drap the previlage to eat which aggravates me. Sept 22.  

      It's easy to see that Drap is terrified in this image.

In similar ways, Oso doesn't allow Drap to get too close to me. He always has something to do like  for instance, he bites Drap for no apparent reason or he jumps on him out of no-where. I sometimes wonder if Oso does this to demonstrate that he's the leader and if so he must feel threatened by Drap's presence or else he simply wouldn't bother to react in the way he does. Oh no here Oso goes tyring to show off his superiority to Drap by constantly jumping on him and growling. Sept 22.   

Oso's behavior makes me come to the conclusion that he must feel that he's not only in control of Drap but of his owners as well including myself. The reason why I believe this may be the case is because when my sibilings or myself yell at Oso for doing something he isn't supposed to be doing he continues  as if nothing happened. To avoid Oso from being further destructive I must let him know that he isn't in control I still haven't figured out how but I'm sure it will come to me. 

 

   Despite the fact that Oso sees him self as the leader of the pack which makes him come off as an evil dog that no one wants to approach, when he's not around other dogs he acts like a completely different dog with a different personality in other words he cuddles more and doesn't jump as much.

The same can be said for Drap when he's not around Oso for a period of time he isn't as paranoid and he rubs his entire body on me as if he were a cat. Sept. 23.

The Outdoors

Being out doors is rarely thought about or looked into. I usually go outdoors not to see what's really there but to get somewhere in other words I go outside with the intention of going somewhere in particular instead of stopping to endure the beautiful things nature has to offer. Today on the other hand, was a lot different from all the other days because I actually stopped to simply think about the outdoors and tried to be as entertained by the outdoors as my dogs are. I walked outside with my dogs by my side and decided to head over to a place where they spend most of their time.
 This place just so happens to be beside a gigantic tree in our back yard.
The big tree always seems to capture both dog's attention. Oso is constantly digging things near it and Drap seems to be extretmely interested by it because he always looks up to see what he could find. Today Oso decided to bury an Arizona bottle (can) beside the tree. Sept.23. He made a huge mess so I began to clean it. I begin to sweep the pavement beside the tree since Oso Bear has dug up a hole while trying to dig up the Arizona Green Tea can. Sept.23 I wonder if Oso sees this tree as some type of protection since he is always digging anything that seems right to be dug there? I can see why Drap is fascinated by the tree because he probably waits to see if there is any baby birds available to eat since a massive amount of different types of birds are always nesting up there multiple babies fall. :( 
As I continue to explore the outdoors with my dogs I get distracted by Drap's bright green eyes. Drap Looks up at me with his bright green eyes. Sept. 20  It seems like they get brighter by the day.

                                               

Oso approaches me wagging his lovely turtle (tail). Sept .17. I refer to his tail as a turtle        because that's exactly what I see it as because his tail was chopped as a puppy it's super tiny. 

Oso Runs Drap chills  !!!(: