With inimitable style, Scott and Gnat usher in the year 2000 with a rousing song. Spooky the cat looks on, being a particular friend and critic of both. Gnat has a lovely singing voice that warbles between tenor and baritone -- and so does Scott!
We thought we'd share with the fancy Merlin's colorful little secret. He has spotty gums! Yes, the spots are real, not added digitally or tattooed on. Extremely handsome, don't you think! (We really don't think gum spots matter one way or another, of course!)
I thought I'd pass on some of the games invented by Clan Duncan over the years (invented by the people and the Shelties together). These are games ranging from rough and tumble to the very gentle games perfect for bonding you to your new puppy, teaching your rescue dog that it is safe to play, and playing with a sick or aged dog. For more robust play, of course, there is always ball, frisbee, even tetherball (as we have seen on Heart o' Gold's interesting site)! Some of the Clan Duncan games are silly. Guess what? Shelties LOVE silly! All dogs love predictability, and once the dogs get used to what a game is supposed to be about, then they really get into it, and you can introduce spontaneous variations. Predictable play is seen as "safe" by a dog who is in a new situation, or has a fragile temperament. I always tell the dogs what game is going to be played next, and they soon learn, so be sure to say the name of the game when you start to play. Say it several times, and you'll get some excited anticipation from the dogs. It's a great way to get them started learning to listen for the meanings of words, since games mean fun. You should see the happy faces in the morning kitchen when they hear the word "Boxhead"!
Sock-Muzzle. You must admit it -- Shelties are built for Sock-Muzzle! This is a very gentle game, very simple. Take one of your socks and attempt to put it over the muzzle of your furry companion. This is a perfect introduction to play if you have a rescue Sheltie that has never experienced play, or a Sheltie new to your home who has not yet learned to trust you. The object of the game is NOT to jam the sock over that nice, long muzzle -- unless the dog is already rambunctious and fearless. At first, just go through the motions, perhaps letting the tip of the muzzle be "socked" for just an instant, and then taking the sock away at once. (Think of playing "peek-a-boo" with a baby to show him that if mom goes away for a moment, it's OK. She will be right back, and it's safe.) Most Shelties will take right to this, and jump all around trying to avoid the sock, but not running away from the game. Frightened, tentative Shelties will feel a bit threatened, but after a time will see that it is meant to be fun, and will gently pat you with their front feet and duck their heads away from the open sock as they move closer and closer. I try to play Sock-Muzzle with all my Shelties at least once a week, for a reason. Sock-Muzzle is a game you can play very gently with a very sick dog. Someday it may be a way you can get your sick or injured Sheltie to hold on and not give up during rough times, when you cannot play in other ways, and your friend needs some reassurance that fun still exists in the world, that you still want to play with him. Try Sock-Muzzle!
The Sheepdog Getter. This is another confidence-winning game, but all our Shelties just love it. Begin to sing, "You've been got by the Sheepdog Getter, the Sheepdog Getter, the Sheepdog Getter. You've been got by the Sheepdog Getter, wooo, wooo, wooo, wooo, woo!" (I warned you that these were silly.) Use any tune you wish. When our dogs hear us singing this, they make a great business of trying to flee, because they know what's coming. Funny -- they never flee far enough! The next thing that happens is that the nearest Sheepdog is grabbed up, held tightly in the arms of the person, and is whirled around the room a couple of times before being set back down on all four feet. Then the next nearest Sheepdog is grabbed up, and so on. Little Reenie is always the last one to be "got." She distances herself while the others are grabbed, but if the game is stopped before she has her turn, she is highly indignant, and stomps over to present herself to the "grabber." Other verses are, of course, "You've been Caught by the Sheepdog Catcher," "You've been grabbed by the Sheepdog Grabber," etc. Try it, but expect some barking!
Footers. Footers is another gentle game, also very simple. Some bloodlines naturally take to Footers in an instant, and others just aren't very interested. See if you have some natural Footers-players! I've found that Shelties linebred to Ch. Philidove Heir Presumptive ROM tend to love Footers. To play: gently take your hand or foot and attempt to tag the front feet of the Sheltie. Do this over and over. A Footers-playing Sheltie will tag back!
Boxhead! This is our every-morning staple game. In the morning, I have all the adults in the kitchen as I prepare our lunches and tea. During this time, I often find a box to dispose of, often a 12-pack soda box. After saying "Boxhead!" I put the box over the nearest Sheltie head. All will then chase the box all around on the varnished wood floor, sliding and pushing and grabbing. When the game slows down, it's time for me to yell, "Boxhead!" again, and pop what's left of the box over another head. They love this, and I think it helps make it a bit easier for them to spend the working part of the day without human company. There's nothing like a rousing game of Boxhead!
Nopey, Goody. This is Merlin's favorite game, and it will wow your non-Sheltie friends of the human variety, since I think it might be a bit difficult for some of the non-intellectual breeds to learn Nopey, Goody well enough to have fun at it. Nopey, Goody began because the dogs love to fetch tennis balls. It's easy to find a thrown tennis ball in short, mown grass. On Clan Duncan hill, however, we have lots of tall sage, willows, bitterbrush, rabbitbrush, and wild grasses. Often it's very difficult for the dog to find the ball if he isn't looking right at the spot where it is landing. Being rather lazy, Scott and I grew tired of having to go retrieve a lost ball ourselves, so we began telling the dogs, "Nopey, nopey," when they were searching in the wrong direction, and "Goody, goody," when they were headed toward the hidden ball. Merlin quickly picked up on this and became an expert. Soon we realized that he was heading in straight lines whenever he heard "Goody, goody," and when he heard "Nopey, nopey," he would stop at once and cast around for a direction until he heard "Goody." After a while, we found that we could cover Merlin's eyes, hurl the ball to a great distance, and guide him to it quickly and surely with the two magic words. Shelties love games where they have to think, and this is a good one, keeping them thinking all the time. Nopey, Goody can be played indoors as well, where the ball is hidden rather than thrown. It's just like the child's game of "Warmer, Cooler." Try "Nopey, Goody" on your bright little fellows!
Cradle Songs. Cradle Songs are not really games, but I am putting them here for lack of a better place. I have always used cradle songs. A cradle song is a song I sing to a litter of puppies from the first day they are born. I sing it softly every time I pick up a puppy from that litter. I sing it as they grow up every time I work with them or around them. Each litter has a different cradle song. Now, I am not talking operatic aria here! Cradle songs are just simple tunes, ranging from "Jingle Bells" for a litter born on Christmas to "Midnight Special" for an all bi-black litter, to -- you name it. It's unusual for us to keep more than one puppy from each litter, so the cradle song becomes that puppy's song after the others have gone to new homes. In cases where more puppies from a litter are kept, they hear the cradle song often, plus, I choose a personal song for each. What good is this? The cradle song can be hummed at times of stress when the dog needs reassurance, or is ill. For some of our dogs, the cradle song was the last sound they heard as they went to the big sleep. Once two of our dogs were suddenly out on the street shortly after moving to a new house, because some idiotic meter reader forced a locked gate and left it open. Both were running scared down the sidewalk, but the sound of their cradle songs stopped them dead in their tracks, broke through their fear so they could think, and brought them home safely. Another time I got a female back at the age of six years. A big girl, Sally had been sold as a pet at eight weeks of age. Her family was moving to Germany. By the time Sally came back, we were living in a different house, and she was confused and uncertain when her owners brought her into our kitchen. I hummed her cradle song, and with a sudden, very wide dog-smile, Sally climbed into my lap, wagging furiously. I highly recommend cradle songs. Even if you're not very good at singing, the words and cadence will be distinctive, and a puppy's cradle song will find a place deep inside, where the tune will stay. At Clan Duncan, we often dance around as I sing the Fur Song. I wrote this work of musical and poetic genius years ago, and it happens to be the cradle song of our last litter. It's a good song to sing while making little grabs and pats at your furry dog.
The Fur Song
You've got fur on your fingers, you've got fur on your toes.
You've got fur on your bodee-ee, that's what you wear for clothes.
You've got fur on your tail and you've got fur on your face.
As a matter of fact, you've got fur every place!
Chorus: You've got fur! You've got fur! You've got fur; you've got fur. As a matter of fact, you've got fur!
I infer that you've got fur. Let's confer about some fur. Let's secure all of your fur. Don't deter the growth of fur. Let's defer to those with fur. I prefer that you have fur!
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