Izzy nuts?

Some dog-loving friends have asked me how Junior Varsity Dog Izzy is coping with the loss of his big fluffy pal Tralfaz. It's a good question. Dog behavior can seem pretty strange, especially when something important in their environment has changed. And Izzy's always been a little strange to begin with.

Izzy was named for Isaiah, my wife's favorite O.T. prophet (you may recall mine is Jonah), but the name Izzy had taken on other meanings. Such as: Izzy chewing the stairs again? Izzy gonna behave tonight? Izzy gonna be better when he's done teething? Izzy gonna drive us up the wall again?

As it turns out, the whole ordeal has in some sense helped him grow up. He seems to know that he's been promoted to Dog Of The House, and has taken on the duties of barking when someone comes to the door, guarding the hall while we have dinner, and watching the wildlife suspiciously.

These dudes are pretty sus.

 

On the other hand, Izzy has been more clingy than he had been. He wants to be with one of us all the time. He's been an affectionate fellow from the day we picked him, but he's now doing things like jumping in the bed and refusing to leave even to do his morning yard run (no worries, he's not using the bed as his toilet). If he can't be right next to us, he wants to be surrounded by our scent.

Weird dog behavior, in other words. 

Honestly, it seems weird to us, but is no doubt rational to them. Dogs don't just operate on a binary system; there's a lot going on in those hard little heads, and I am convinced everything is logical in some way to them even if it's unfathomable to us. 

So there are some odd things happening, but I do think he's adjusted well. He's just getting used to his promotion. Izzy is a very sweet boy, and he trusts us, and that is a great gift from any dog.