The Slow Walk

[SmoothieGirl]

My Dobermann used to do this slow walk, but at easily about half the pace of the video of Jack. She would only ever do it with the family, especially if we were playing hide and seek. She would try keep eye contact with you while she did it, until she got to about three metres away, then she would avoid eye contact until she got to about a metre away. Then she would suddenly play bow, wag her bum and tail like mad and tear off on a zoomie.

Waiting for her to pick up and place down each foot was amazing. She would peel each foot of the ground really slowly, lift it through the air and place it down every so gently and even slower than the pick up. It could take her five to seconds per paw and sometimes she would kind of hover there for a while.

Very odd behaviour. I have seen other Dobes do it too.

Never associated with anything touching her back though and she was not reactive to anything else going on around her during this behaviour, she was always purely focused on the 'game' if that was what it was.

Edit - Excusing the initial quality of the video and the fact its a US vid, this is a great example of another Dobe stalking. As you can see this is in play, but there seems to be a theme of Dobes stalking on YouTube. My girl did exactly this.

Edit again - Idiot, I forgot to add the link -

Edited February 21, 2010 by SmoothieGirl

[persephone]

Smoothiegirl- I think of 'play-stalking' behaviour when you describe your dobe

[SmoothieGirl]

Persephone, she certainly thought it was fun and we loved watching her.

[MissMonaro]

Our old bull terrier x cattle dog used to do this......and it was pretty funny to watch him.

He would walk under the plants, slowly putting his feet down, and in a bit of a trance....totally absorbed in his own little world.

No way would I say it was a threatening type of behaviour at all.

It was definately like he enjoyed the sensation of the fronds or leaves gently rubbing / tickling his back.

If you called him, he would snap out of it, look at you with a goofy grin and come wagging his tail.

[Simsim]

Good golly! I saw our newly adopted beagle - we've had him for 3.5 weeks now and he's just under 6 yrs old - do this the day before yesterday. He was in the backyard, walking super slowly back and forth whilst scratching his back underneath our basil plant (which grows in an elevated garden bed). He's definitely 100% beagle we have his papers and all... I take it that this isn't a beagle behaviour - we've never had a beagle before!

I had no idea what he was doing but I couldn't stop laughing at him. I wish he hadn't stopped and had gone on for longer.

[Bulldust]

Some of my Bullies do it, some dont. My mum had a Ridgeback who does it too. The ones of mine who do it will take any opportunity, towels hanging up, a persons skirt even!! Curtins, doona's hanging off the end of the beds, the bottom of the Xmas tree!

[Baz+Rome]

Some of my Bullies do it, some dont. My mum had a Ridgeback who does it too. The ones of mine who do it will take any opportunity, towels hanging up, a persons skirt even!! Curtins, doona's hanging off the end of the beds, the bottom of the Xmas tree! ;)

Baz is the same. He's a bugger out on a walk because if any greenery touches him it's all over and your stuck there while he trances for 5 mins.

[TessiesTracey]

too funny! I've got Staffords, but neither do it. A friend's Stafford does though and it's very amusing to watch. Bless 'em!!!!

[OSoSwift]

I hvae never seen it, what an interesting behaviour to watch.

Our Dobe play stalked as well, waaayyy slower than the other movies. She would wait until she got about a metre and a half away, then explode leaping jumping and zooming, then would do it all over again. Loved it.

[Teebs]

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Edited February 27, 2010 by Teebs