Pupstraction

Pupstraction: Being distracted by puppies.

We stood in the dining room this evening discussing possible blog topics while the pups entertained both us and themselves. Roxy's CleverPet was the source of much of this distraction. In case you haven't heard of the CleverPet... it's like a flying saucer full of dog treats has landed in your home. It has blue lights across the front a la 2001: A Space Odyssey, only less spectacular. If your pet taps the lights in the right order, they are rewarded with a treat. Unfortunately, it doesn't ever respond with Also sprach Zarathustra. (That would be super entertaining if it did, though.)

Meg has decided that the CleverPet is the best source of nighttime snacks, but she doesn't really know how to open it. Her mom helps out when she gets the first one right but can't figure out the second one. Her Aunt Kef's tactic is to point to each correct light and encourage her to do it herself. She can do it with Kef's help, but not without (except for the occasional accidental success).

Roxy, on the other hand, is a pro. She knows exactly which button to push and gets it right most times. She's at the level where you're supposed to tap the brightest light, so I consider that pretty challenging. Sometimes even I can't tell which is supposed to be brighter. (I'm not a clever pet.) Roxy's downfall is when she gets impatient. She thinks she tapped the correct buttons, but is told (by lack of treat and by the "loser" sound effect) that she's wrong. Her form of complaint is to scratch at the toy until it relents and gives her a treat. It never does. It just waits for her to be over her little fit and then starts again.

While Meg and Roxy ate their fill of treats, Maya lounged under the dining table waiting for someone to just hand her one. She is staunchly against having to work for a treat (or for anything else for that matter).

Although Pippa might like to take part in the treats, she isn't amused by the process. So she dug around in her crate until she found an appropriate toy for the occasion... a crab. If we're eating, we might as well enjoy it. Pippa is trying to learn how to calm down and wait for a toy to be thrown. It's tough work, but she's mostly got the "sit and you get a toy" thing down.

Thank goodness we have these pups around.... otherwise, what's the point of being home at all?!

This pic is from yesterday, but it's still a good example of pupstraction. Sticks are the best.

Comments

Unknown said…
I shared to Facebook.