Foot Steppin'

[JMFS]

So why do you suppose Momo loves to step all over my feet? *Some* would say it's a dominance thing but he's seemingly utterly oblivious, and happy, when he does it. Just curious what your take is on it. :D I think he's simply all boy and totally unaware he's doing something that annoys the daylights out of me.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Well, with the many odd things dogs do, we can often only speculate until a day comes when dogs can talk and tell us what's really going on their heads! By looking at a dog's conformation in respect to ours, I agree with your theory about him just being utterly oblivious. I am guessing that a certain level of clumsiness must come with being four-legged, I mean it in the sense that dogs, unlike us, have four legs and their back feet aren't as visible to them as our front feet are to us. It's easy therefore for dogs to accidentally step (with their back legs in particular) on things they shouldn't.

 

Which brings me to something really icky that happened a few days ago. Einstein accidentally stepped on his poop with his back legs after pooping. Of course, this wasn't intentional and I could tell by his face that he was really upset about it because he was walking very gingerly away with a disgusted expression on his face. Of course, it was my unpleasant task to clean up and I was lucky to have had handy wet wipes in my car.

 

Another possible theory is that foot stepping has become part of a reinforcement-based stimulus package associated with closeness to you. If he's coming close to you seeking your attention and touch, and your feet are in the way (feet must be a bit cumbersome if we look at them from Rover's perspective aren't they?) it's almost inevitable he'll step on them.

 

If coming closer to you (and stepping on your feet in the process) results in you looking at your dog, talking to your dog or petting your dog, (which are all signs of attention), you can bet that the foot stepping and coming into close proximity to you are behaviors that will be reinforced, and therefore, will repeat.

 

Emotional arousal is likely also a big contributing factor. Dogs who step on feet perhaps may be too overwhelmed with emotions to realize what they are doing. So for example, dogs may be too excited or too anxious to realize what they are doing with their feet. Just a few ideas...

[JMFS]

Oh no! Poor Einstein. That's just not dignified for such a refined canine! The girls would understand. Gertie and Abbi sometimes get "cling ons" due to my long hair occasionally being ingested. What goes in . . .. I feel badly for them, but at the same time I have to stifle giggles as they attempt to run away from the sneak thief behind them. No matter how fast they run, he keeps up. It's a mixed emotions sort of situation. I swear, it's never ending entertainment discovering things that make them lose composure.

 

I think your ideas are spot on. Gertie is far more aware of her situation. Momo, on the other hand, well, imagine putting one of those super bouncy balls into a pinball machine and letting it fly. :D As my previous boss used to say, "wired for sound." To this day, asking him to touch my hand before giving the okay to eat sees him jumping and turning in circles. BTW, we're Much better these days with that situation. :) I've come up with the idea to warn him before chest rubs or ear scratches by saying, "ears," then reaching out. So far so good! No more tension, but he still vibrates with anticipation some days. My special boy, lol.