Chewy's Rules of Dog Etiquette, Part 1

Chewy lives by his own particular set of rules. Some of his behaviors evolved from things we taught him to do, while others he just decided were proper for a pup!

Rule #1: Sit and you shall receive.

When Chewy was a puppy, we taught him to sit for food and pats. Now, he sits and stares at you to signal that he wants something, such as a treat from the treat jar, a toy from his toy bin (that he's too afraid to dig through on his own), or a bite of what you're eating.

I am sitting. Please share!

Rule #2: Counter surfing is prohibited, but sniffing is allowed.

Chewy has stolen 2 things off the kitchen counter in his lifetime, both when he was a young pup. The first was a single cooked chicken tenderloin from a whole plate that was meant for him, and the other was a ginger root freshly dug from the garden, which he chewed up and hid behind various pieces of furniture. He wasn't reprimanded for stealing from the counter because we didn't discover the thefts until later, but we did train him to stop standing up to check things out. Since then, he has reformed his pilfering ways and now sticks to only sniffing. He'll get his nose as close as possible while keeping all 4 paws on the floor, and if he smells something he thinks is for him, he'll apply Rule #1 and sit and wait.

I smell yum yums!

Rule #3: Don't overstay your welcome.



When Chewy sees you sitting on the toilet, he'll sometimes come and sit next to you, expecting to be petted. But once he sees you reaching for the toilet paper, he gets up and leaves! He came up with this one on his own, like he's trying to be polite!

Hi! Can I come in?

Rule #4: Keep paws off electronics and other human belongings.

If stuff is left on the couch or floor, such as a phone, blanket, or remote, Chewy is very careful to leave it alone. He'll curl up in a little empty spot instead, or even try to work around the objects. He LOVES to bring his toys onto the couch, roll on them, shove his head under the armrest, and then kick his feet up, but stuff on the couch hinders that:

Must...avoid...thing!

Once I removed the phone, he went all out:

Woohoo!

It's as if Chewy knows electronics are fragile. 😉

Sometimes Chewy even avoids stuff he left on the couch himself. I have to regularly remove his toys from the couch and his dog bed so he has enough space to get comfy.

To be continued...