Mochi wants to play so badly that she doesn't really "listen" to what the older dogs are telling her with their body language (and growls and snaps if I don't step in.) At this point they are pretty much telling her 100% of the time that they want her to move away. But a growl would cause her to move in closer hoping that maybe a lick on their face would change their mind. Of course that doesn't go over too well. So I've been working on reinforcing her when she chooses to play on her own.
Chima is the most patient with her and while she still won't play, she waits Mochi out and pointedly looks away until I step in and get Mochi interested in something else. Which is pretty easy to do. I just throw a toy and she immediately forgets Chima and wants to play with me.
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| Mochi is bored with her squeaky stick so she wants Chima to play |
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| Chima tries to be as clear as possible with Mochi that there is no way she'sgoing to play |
Each day she gets better at respecting the oldsters. Today I was happy to see her lying on the floor with an assortment of chew toys she was working on. I've been rewarding her for playing by herself like this with games of fetch and slowly but surely she's starting to choose to keep herself entertained rather than bugging the other dogs.
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| Playing with the squeaky stick |
Good girl Mochi! And good job to the rest of the dogs who are doing their best to be patient.
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| Chewing on the Nylabone dinosaur |
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