Boomer had quite a reaction when certain words or phrases were used. Here are some of them?
Do You Want Something to Eat?
This sentence would cause Boomer to rear like a horse in the kitchen, or wave his head towards the kitchen if we were somewhere else. He jumped around like a wild dog. He loved food. Eventually we said “LIE DOWN!” and he would wait on the floor in front of his bowl and drool until we said “OK”.
In fact this phrase was so clearly his favorite that you could say any part of it and he knew what it meant, including:
- Something?
- Do you?
- Something to….?
- Something to eat?
TREAT?
Closely related to “something to eat” was “Treat?”, and we would give him a dog biscuit from the basket on the counter.
Outside? Play ball outside?
Another favorite Boomer phrase was anything that involved going out into the yard. He knew what “outside” meant.
Car?
Whenever the family was getting ready to leave the house and go somewhere, Boomer looked on hopefully, and whenever we said the word “Car?” he would run over to the door and put his nose near the crack. He would head over to the car and wait for us to open the door so he could jump inside. He liked to be in the middle seat of the Suburban, and never the third seat or the back. He liked to hang his head over the seat so the driver could give him a good pat.
Rope?
When Boomer was but a pup he got a pull rope from his Aunt Julie, and he had that rope his entire life. He pulled so hard on that rope, that when he shook his head it nearly ripped your arm off. He would growl quite a bit as well, especially if you stuck your foot underneath him while he was pulling.
Who Is It?
This phrase meant that someone was at the door or outside. We used this term often, especially when we were relaxing in the hot tub outside. Whenever we said “who is it?” Boomer would start barking at the woods like crazy.
Go get your ball
Whenever you said this word Boomer had the uncanny ability to go find a ball somewhere. If he couldn’t find one laying around, he would eventually sniff one out that had rolled under the couch or in the crack between the cabinets. He would then whine at you until you got it for him.
Copper?
Boomer’s favorite buddy was Copper Holt, and when you said his name he would tilt his head and wait for you to say something about the car. Boomer had a whole bunch of dog pals that he knew by name:
- Uncle Noah, another Golden who lived up the street from Boom.
- Lilly, the Stevens’ dog
- Maverick and Lola, the Johnson’s dog
When we walked by the Johnson’s house Boomer would always slow to a halt and take a long look.
Leash?
Boomer knew very well that the word “leash” meant he’d be going for a walk, and while he didn’t like the gentle lead on his nose he put up with it.
Go Look Out the Door
Boomer’s desire to play would eventually wear us down, and we’d need a moment of peace. We’d say “Go Look Out the Door” and he would run over to the door and look outside. He spent a lot of time gazing out the front door, wishing he could go play. If he didn’t go over to the door, we would say “Who Is it? Go look out the door”. This would get his interest and he would usually go.
Go Potty Woods!
Boomer heard this term a lot, especially in the morning. Anytime we let him outside to go to the bathroom he’d run to the woods and go (instead of on the lawn). This was certainly one of the best things about him!
LIE DOWN!
Boomer learned this one in obedience school, and he learned it well.
CRAWL!
Our favorite trick to show our guests was to have Boomer lie down and put a treat on the floor maybe 10 feet in front of him and say “CRAWL!”. He would crawl like a soldier on his belly to go over and get the treat.
