Dog Lady,
I’m into Comcast, the cable company, for big bucks in chewed-up clicker costs. My Lab Molly chows down on the remote control devices around the house. I try to tell my kids to hide them from the dog, but if any clicker is at Labrador retriever eye level, Molly will find it and gnaw on it. Comcast charges me $30 to replace the mangled remotes. I also worry about any harm to Molly from ingesting bits of the electronic devices. Why does my dog this? How can I make her stop?
Jan, Cambridge, MA.
Jan, your Lab gives new meaning to hogging the clicker. Bada boom.
The TV remote must be the enemy in a dog’s world. Your pet knows whenever somebody picks up the fat stick and starts pointing it at the big picture box, she won’t get any quality attention. No walks, no ball-throwing, no stick tossing whenever her people are staring at the shadowlands where other dogs seem to be having more fun than she is. Who knows what goes on in Molly’s mind, but Dog Lady suggests she has every cockeyed canine reason to be fixated on the darned object because it takes her people away from her. Or maybe the gizmo really does taste like raw steak to a hungry Lab.
Take control of the remote control. Don’t leave the devices in the Lab’s reach. Put them up high so Molly can’t get to them. Your dog is munching on the clickers because everybody is too lazy to stow them away appropriately. Why pay Comcast any more than you have to?
Also, when you watch TV, try to ensure Molly associates the experience with something more pleasant than snacking on toxic plastic and feeling ignored during “Desperate Housewives.” Invite her to be part of the family viewing circle. Make sure she has ample biscuits or chew toys to remind her of options beyond high-carb clickers.
Monica Collins offers advice on dogs, life and love. Her Web site is www.askdoglady.com. Contact her at [email protected].
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