Rocky @ One Year Eight Months

I have read about behavioral changes in a dog after being neutered.
Honestly, I have not noticed a huge change in Rocky since December, when he was neutered. May be a slight change in the barking pattern when he meets other dogs during his walk and overall good behavior during the daily walks. Nowadays, he greets his many human admirers not with a bark or by leash lunging but a more loving cuddle; wagging and tucking his tail. But till his big job is done during the walks, he continues urine marking and pulling the lease to explore exotic perfumes in the wet winter leaves in the woods! May be a little less ? Not sure about that!

But the main behavioral change that I have noticed is that Rocky has become very interactive (vocally as well as facial expressions). I have also discovered two things that Rocky fancies. He loves cakes with icing. Even though he is a good dog who never jumps on the counter but this behavior cannot be guaranteed if a cake is kept there.
The other fancy is quite different. He loves to sleep like a human with his head on the pillow. Obviously he does this when no one is around. We have caught him many times in this act and it’s normally my pillow he fancies. Awe….. sooo much love!!!

Rocky was always curious (https://ridewithtia.com/2021/12/17/curious-rocky/), but now he has become a spy !! He watches over us 24/7 and no new thing gets unnoticed by him be it an indoor plant, a cigar box, or any new arrangement at home. His sneakiness and demand barks have significantly increased and he is often caught eavesdropping too! It seems that he is almost going to start conversing with us… Nevertheless, with all this sneakiness and demands, my heart melts when I see his apologetic look.

Here is a small story: A cigar box gifted my the manager of a Latino restaurant, was lying on a low table. The box didn’t have any cigars but instead had 4 Worry Dolls. This new thing obviously had attracted Rocky’s attention. Every day I noticed the change in position of the box. But it never came to my mind that it was Rocky’s inquisitiveness. Till one day, we found that he was chewing something. Soon a Worry Doll came out of his mouth! Of note, Worry Dolls are tiny, hand-made dolls from Guatemala. They are meant for children who share their worries with the Dolls by placing them under their pillows when they go to bed at night. By morning the dolls gift them wisdom and knowledge to eliminate their worries.
I found it very interesting. Isn’t it so uncanny that Rocky, “a toddler puppy”, got hold of one, but instead of under the pillow it landed in his mouth!!!! Well after all he is a dog !! I hope the Worry Doll gave him wisdom and helped him eliminate his anxiety of staying alone at home sometimes! Well that’s another story….

If you want to know more about Worry Dolls here is a link: https://www.commonhope.org/the-legend-of-the-guatemalan-worry-doll/