Me? Stubborn?

Do you know what my Mom said to me today?  She said “Viktor.”  (In a tone that does NOT mean I am about to receive an extra treat).  She said “Viktor, when you look up the word “stubborn” in the dictionary, there is a picture of you!”

OK, I admit it.  I CAN be just a little bit stubborn.  Well…actually I can be a LOT stubborn.  I wonder if it’s a PON thing – because even Conrad, er Frodo can be stubborn.  But we are stubborn about different things – which makes life very interesting for our Mom.  For example,  Frodo does NOT like to be in any other room than where my Mom is.  And just TRY and keep him from getting to her.  One time, he was out in a large pen, and he chewed through 6 bungee cords that were securing the door - to get out.  That’s either stubborn or persistent.  Actually I like the sound of persistent rather than stubborn.  Actually I think I'll call it stubsistent.

As for me, well I am stubsistent when it comes to sitting and waiting for my food bowl.  All three of us boys know the drill.  We sit in our places while Mom gets our food dishes ready.  We are told to “sit and stay.”  And I know what those words mean.  But every other day or so, I try and sneak to see if the food is coming.  When Mom sees me, she gives me the “look” and I sit down.  Sometimes.  Sometimes I just stand and stare at her.  Then she tells me to sit.  And I stand and stare.  She again says sit.  And I stand and stare.  Then she feeds Frodo and Paxton.  And THEN I quickly sit.  Mom calls it stubborn.  I call it the doggie slot machine game.  Sometimes Mom gets the behavior she is looking for – just like a win on a slot machine.  And then sometimes, well,  she just doesn’t win.  It’s that intermittent reinforcement that we dogs have to give our humans – just to keep them on their toes.  They call it stubborn.  I call it clever…very clever. Or stubsistent.

  © 2014 Linda Wozniak