My cousin and his wife have two dogs, and one of them is named "Reilly." He's a spirited little scrapper, but he doesn't "warm up" quickly with new people, and he gets skittish when an unfamiliar person tries to touch his head or neck.
Reilly is who he is, and he had started to accept my presence when I was here last month. But when I returned to my dad's a few days ago, I was amazed by how excited he was to see me...no barking at all, tail wagging, and even jumping up at my leg to encourage AND let me pet his head...I was shocked!
But not all change is meant to last.
Now that I've been here for a few days, his old skittish behavior has kicked back in, and he won't let me go near his head! It's just fascinating to me how a little bit of excitement seemed to help him to momentarily "forget" that he's supposed to be skittish when I tried to pet his head!
What was it about Reilly's excitement to see me that opened up a new set of behaviors for him?
This also makes me wonder about human anxiety. Does a jolt of excitement help the neurotic humans get past whatever fears or anxieties that we have, too?
I am intrigued now...Reilly's behavior has captured my curiosity and attention.
But, don't worry, Reilly...I won't be ringing bells, sticking you with electrodes, or making you cling to wire monkey moms to get your food...lol...but I will be watching you!
I'll also be watching my own behavior, of course...because I am absolutely fascinated by how a little bit of excitement seemed to apparently change his entire brain chemistry.
Perhaps our behaviors are not as "hard wired" as we thought!
