Follow the Bouncing Ball
Yesterday, while Glindy and I were
out and about, there was a young girl bouncing a large beach ball
inside the building. While this was obviously inappropriate, I was
more concerned by the fact that it seemed to be getting Glindy
worked up. Glindy couldn't take her eyes off the bouncing ball, and
at one point she barked at it.
It was only a single bark, and she responded well to the
correction, but I can't help wondering what Glindy was really
trying to communicate. Was she scared or aroused by the sight of
the ball? Was the metallic-sounding boing bothering her?
Was she frustrated that she couldn't chase after it? Maybe she was
just warning me that someone was doing something out of the
ordinary in a place where people don't usually bounce balls? I'm
just not sure.
Anyway, this isn't an issue that's likely to come up often, so I'm
not losing any sleep over it; I'm just curious. Meanwhile, I'll be
keeping my eyes (and ears) open in the future, just in case this
becomes a training or desensitization issue somewhere down the
road.