The Helicopter Tail, Vibrate & Growl, and Smack: How My Dogs Get My Attention

Hi, I’m Allison. Read my introduction to learn more about me and my three mixed-breed dogs from Thailand, Jelly, Lorraina, and Manic.

If you had asked me when I was not a dog owner how dogs get a person’s attention, I would have thought back to the classic Lassie television show. With only a few barks, Lassie conveyed the troubling situation and ultimately saved the day. So, dogs bark to get someone’s attention.

Now, do MY dogs bark to get my attention? No. Lassie lied to us all. However, they have their own unique ways of getting me to look at them and attend to their needs.

Jelly: The Helicopter Tail and Stare Method

Jelly is my senior lady; she wants to get your attention by staring into your soul while her tail spins in a circle. Picture it: I am sitting at my desk working, but I get the feeling that someone is staring at me. I glance over to my left, and there is Jelly, eyes glued to mine with her tail spinning so fast that I honestly think her behind might start to gently lift off the ground. What I find most interesting about this attention-seeking method is that the rest of her body remains still.

“What do you need, Jelly?”

She stares intensely with her tail spinning around.

“Do you need to go out?”

The stare continues.

“Do you need dinner?”

She takes a few steps toward me, indicating that this is the right answer.

I point to the clock hanging on the wall, knowing full well she can’t tell time and does not understand what that gesture means.

“Well, it is not time for dinner yet.”

The tail wagging slows as I give her the cold shoulder. She retreats to bed and curls up.

Lorraina decides to get my attention, but in a slightly stranger way.

Lorraina: The Vibrate and Growl Method

Lorraina is another senior dog, but she does not let her age slow her down, especially when it comes to dinner time. She slips into my office and sticks her head between my knees. She begins to vibrate and shake like a little windup toy. She also begins to open-mouth growl.

I look down at her. The eye contact makes her growl a bit louder.

“Are you kidding me?” I mumble.

“Grrrrr, grrrrr, grrrrr, grrrrr,” she replies, vibrating from head to toe.

“Knock it off!” I point my finger at her snout. She licks it.

“NO! You can wait 30 minutes. Now, shoo!” I move my chair and nudge her out of the office.

Lorraina has been pulling this trick for years now. I used to feed my dogs their dinner at around 5:00 pm. However, Lorraina felt that this time was not acceptable and persistently harassed me about 30 minutes earlier than the standard dinnertime for months. Soon, we began feeding them at 4:30 pm. Eventually, that time was changed to 4:00 pm. Currently, it is 3:30 pm. And now she is trying to get that pushed to 3:00 pm.

I am holding strong, though!

Manic: The Smack

Manic was the last to be added to the little pack, so he was less demanding when it came to food. I believe his theory was he will get fed when he gets fed.

But when wanted cuddles (or if you stopped cuddling him), he would smack you.

The smacking started when I was trying to teach him how to “Shake” and “High Five”. Because we would give him loads of praise when he did the trick, he used it to his advantage.

I was lying down in bed, scrolling on my phone when Manic jumped on the bed.

“Hello, my dear boy,” I said and gave him a quick cuddle. Then, I went back to looking at food pictures on Instagram.

Manic did not approve of this. And to let me know I had made an egregious error in not lathering him with attention, he smacked the phone out of my hand.

I was shocked by the action but more shocked because he maintained direct eye contact with me as I went to retrieve it. Not broken, thank goodness! And as soon as I returned to scrolling, Manic tried to smack my phone a second time; thankfully, I moved it before he had the pleasure.

The nerve.

To Summarize, They Are Unique

Any dog owner will tell you that their canines have their own traits and personality. I couldn't agree more. All my dogs are entirely different, so why should they get my attention in the same manner? Imagine if all three of my dogs smacked me to get my attention. I would have to get a new phone every month.