Not only can dogs be taught all sorts of amusing tricks, but they can
play intelligently at games themselves. Mrs Lee tells us of a
fox-terrier named Fop, who used to hide his eyes, and suffer those
playing with him to conceal themselves before he looked up. I should
have liked to see jolly Fop at his sports. If his playfellow hid
himself behind a curtain, Fop would go carefully past that particular
curtain, looking behind the others and the rest of the furniture, and
when he thought he had looked long enough, seize the concealing curtain,
and drag it aside in triumph.
The drollest thing, however, was to see him take his turn at hiding. He
would get under a chair, and fancy he could not be seen. Of course,
those at play with him pretended not to know where he was hiding, and it
was most amusing to witness his agitation as they passed.
Once Fop was ill, and had taken some homoeopathic globules, which were
supposed to have cured him. Afterwards, when anything was the matter
with him, he would stand near the medicine-box, and hold his mouth open
to receive a pill. He possibly might have had a taste for sugar-plums.
Professor Owen tells us of another dog which was taught by his master to
play at hide-and-seek. When he heard the words, "Let us have a game,"
he immediately hid his eyes between his paws in the most honourable
manner; and when his owner had placed a sixpence or a piece of cake in
the most improbable place, he started up, and invariably found it.
Young dogs, it may thus be seen, enjoy games of play as much as boys and
girls do, and romping still more so.