You might know that Dude can perform tricks. He knows five of them, and they're all performed by rolling over on his back. I don't know exactly how it happened, but I suspect that he got the idea that rolling over pleased me, so he simply tried it repeatedly. And, that gave me the idea to develop more tricks that are a variation on him laying on his back.
Here is a rundown on the tricks:
Roll over - this is self-explanatory.
Spot check - a trick that obligates me to touch each of the spots on his underside and count them. After all, with all of his running and playing, he might lose one, so periodically they need to be checked.
Belly rub - it's really a chest rub, but he doesn't know the difference.
Blow on your belly - it's a bit like one might blow on a baby's belly, but it involves dog sweat on your lips. It's not his favorite, but he puts up with it. It's not my favorite either because sometimes he kicks my glasses off. Such are the hazards of having fun with my 32 pound buddy.
Kink - a special term that refers to using your index and little finger on one hand to jab his inner thighs and holler out "kink." This immediately gets him to jump up and run around the room. It's a bit like the starting gun for lots of fun. The most fun is circling him and making him wait for it. He never knows when it's coming, but he always has an enthusiastic response - mainly because the deed is done and he gets to play on all fours instead of on his back.
So, it can't be said that Dude doesn't have a knack for tricks. Indeed he does, provided all of the tricks involve rolling over on his back.
