# Does your V do any certain rituals?



## RubyRoo (Feb 1, 2011)

Ruby seems to be very ritualistic almost OCD like with certain things. For example, everything she has to go potty, she walks the perimeter around our screen lanai around the hot tub and grill and then goes outside. The door is right there and she takes the long way around. Also, she won't go upstairs unless she carries something in her mouth. She gets frantic looking around for a toy or anything to carry. The other thing is when we leave the house, she goes to the chair in the front of the house and waits there until we get home.

We never trained her to do any of these things and seems to just come up with them. Does your V do any little rituals like this?


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## flynnandlunasmom (May 28, 2012)

Too funny. I've noticed some OCD behaviors in my v's too. 

Before Luna will get in the car, she has walk completely around it at least once and then she can hop in. 

She also watches us leave out the side door and then she runs around to the front window to get another look at us as we pull out of the driveway. 

Flynn also must do a "victory lap" when he makes a really good frisbee catch. With the frisbee in his mouth, he joyfully runs a big circle around us before dropping the frisbee for the next throw.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Yes, Willie's behavior is very much like what you have described. He has his little routines. At bed time, he goes to his blue leather chair (crate substitute). He won't get up on my bed unless he is specifically invited. I never trained him to be like this, but it's kind of nice. Some nights, if I'm really tired, I prefer to sleep alone because I don't want to compete for mattress space! Then I just don't invite him up on the bed. They really are such creatures of habit!!


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## raps702 (Dec 19, 2010)

Absolutely.... When I eat lunch and dinner, Axel will sit in front of his food bowl and look back and tilt his head at me (waiting for me to add something to his dish) He won't touch his food dry until I actually add something from my plate into his dish (ie brown rice, shredded cheese, veggies, wet dog food) I think it's the belief that he is getting something good from my plate. I actually get up and get something small and healthy (from fridge) and add it to my plate when I am finished eating my meal.

When it's time for his bedtime at 10pm, his internal clock kicks in and he alway's gets up from his dog bed and sits in front of his kennel (as if saying ok guys take me out pee so I can go to bed!!!) As soon as he goes pee he runs into his kennel for the night.)

The most annoying ritual he does is when he goes potty in the morning, sometimes he will circle a certain area of grass for 5 minutes until he is ready to finally do his business!! Of course I am waiting patiently for this and encouraging him and prompting him with words such as Hurry and lets go!! etc However he alway's walks back and forth, back and forth, back and forth!!!


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## Suliko (Sep 17, 2011)

Love to read all these posts! These dogs are ummm...special  
I have to say, my oldest V Sophie is the one most set in her ways and with several OCDs. When I come home from work, even if my husband is at home already, she will come upstairs with me to the closet and will sit and wait for me to change. Once I’m done changing, she will roll over and ask to rub her belly, following by lots of paw stretching and wiggling her whole body belly up on the carpet. It happens EVERY SINGLE time I come home from work! It’s like she smells the office on me because during weekends or days off she doesn’t do it. Maybe she knows my office wardrobe!
Sophie will not settle and go to sleep unless we have played with her. She will sit right in front of us and stare at us with slight whining until we pay attention. The play she wants is what my husband does with her – lays on the floor with her, holds her, and then she tries to wiggle her way out of his arms  Her paws are everywhere, she wiggles like crazy and she groans and grunts really loud 
Sophie also has her weird moments where she won’t jump on the bed even with the invitation (she never jumps in our bed w/o invitation). That means – I’m not ready and play with me! It's like we have to beg - come on, cuddle with us! And she won't. It is really annoying and it happens every day!

Pacsirta on the other hand doesn’t really have any set ways yet. She’s just happy to BE! For her, everything we do is what she wants to do. My little, sweet kid - love her to pieces!  One area I can see where she can develop an OCD is finding/retrieving: sticks, balls, rocks, anythingyouthrowatme’s. She’ll go, find it and come back for more – fields, woods, water - doesn't matter. She wants to work!


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## RubyRoo (Feb 1, 2011)

Great stories- keep them coming. 

Just remembered another one. When we feed Ruby and start to scoop food into her bowl, she run on to her designated spot on the couch and waits patiently until we put the bowl down and walk away. It is very polite and never trained her to do this.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Sam's only ritals are those we trained him to perform. 
Sit (not lie down or down) and wait patiently if wants or needs anything. 

All other rituals are subject to approval by us... Most are canceled :-[

Sam is a good boy.


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## Oquirrh the V (Jun 24, 2011)

These are cute. Oquirrh's rituals. Anytime I get his leash and say, "Go for a walk" he will do a jump and spin around very excitedly and then he sits in front of me to put the leash on. He also wakes up EVERY morning at 6:30 and will make a little whine from the side of my bed. As soon as he sees me move, he darts to the back door where he will hold his point until I release him into the backyard. He points at the door, because he knows there are always birds waiting on the other side. Crazy dogs. Gotta love it!


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Mine get a small treat if they eat their food completely. Meaning.... they always get a treat! Sometimes a bones and other times a piece of kangaroo tendon or similar. Zsa Zsa does a little happy dance when she gets hers. She skips and prances around like a playful puppy with her tail wagging furiously. I must get it on video and post it, it's very cute......  

Astro has to perform at least three rotations under the blanket before finally settling down to sleep. So he does his turns, I then "fix" or in his mind "ruin" the blanket positioning so we are all warm and covered. Of late, he's also taken to sleeping with his head near my feet. But then, when he gets hot, he puts his head out from under the blankets exposing my feet at the same time. I wake a little later with icicles on my feet.....


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

My girls love treats but Cash has to carry his around and show it off. Play with it and wait until the girls have gobbled theirs down. Only after he has them for a audience will he lay down and slowly eat it in front of them.


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## SteelCityDozer (Aug 25, 2011)

Dozer def lays in the same spot EVERY time we leave. He's watches us out the window then (I'm assuming) gets in his spot until we return. When the couched moved into a another room, he followed. So I guess he likes the couch and not the location. 

And then every morning when he wakes up he jumps off the bed, scratches his neck and then rolls around on the carpet before going downstairs. 

Penny is too young still really but I'm sure some habits will appear.


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## Suliko (Sep 17, 2011)

Completely forgot!! SOPHIE, my divine lady, EVERY night after all chores are done and we sit down to have a conversation or to watch TV, she will bring a bone or a toy, place it on our lap or in our hands and will chew on it....endlessly. If we hold the bone for her while she's chewing on it - complete heaven!


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## CrazyCash (Jul 12, 2012)

In the morning while we are getting ready to go for a walk, I put the dogs in the garage while I gather up the collars and leashes. 

Every morning when I go out into the garage, Cash has something in his mouth - a toy, a piece of wood, a piece of cardboard - then he carries whatever he has outside to the sidewalk and drops it. It stays there until we return from our walk and then he picks it up and carries it back into the garage.


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## Beachrat (Dec 1, 2010)

When anyone sneezes, Henry immediately drops whatever he is doing and runs/squiggles over to sniff the face of whoever it is. After a thorough visual and olfactory inspection, he seems satisfied everything is ok and goes about his business. We have to remember to warn any visitors because it can be quite startling.


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