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| Frannie cracking a walnut |
10. Her kibbles - The kibble we feed Frannie come from a company called BritCare. Their Lamb and Rice kibbles seem to have the right percentages of fat and protein. Plus there is no corn. Frannie seems to like the taste. We use it for her a normal feeding and from time to time as treats. There is no faster way to get her to come than to rattle her kibble container.
9. Walnuts - We're beginning to wonder if Frannie is part squirrel because somewhere along the way, she has picked up a taste for walnuts. We have have been finding walnuts around the house this winter, and the broken shell of walnuts on Frannie's cushion. Initially, we think she had been secretly taking them from a dish on a low table in the dining room. But now she is more open about it. Whenever we are cracking walnuts, she will come and sit next to us. If a nut were to fall and is not picked up right away. Frannie will casually stroll by the nut and without stopping, dip her head down, grab the nut and trot out of the room. In a couple of minutes, presumably after storing her treasure, she is back in position for the next opportunity.
8. Hundewurst - both of the butchers that we use make a hundewurst, a sausage especially for dogs. I'm not sure I want to know what it is made of, although the same can be said about the meat product in any dog food. In any case, Frannie is a big fan of hundewurst.. Sometimes we give a bit to her in her kibbles. The hundewurst always is eaten first.
7. Butterbrot - Put some good German butter on a piece of German bread, what's not to like. It is one of Frannie's favorite things about Germany as well as mine. Every breakfast, she lays quietly between us waiting for one of us to cut off a small piece of bread for her and butter it. She has a second sense about when we do this. Not sure how she knows we are doing it, some movement on our part gives it away. But Frannie will immediately get into a sit and wait to receive her treat.
6, Fleischwurst - When we go to the butchers, Frannie has to wait out in the car for us. Dogs are allowed in most stores and restaurants, but grocery stores and butchers don't allow dogs. But she doesn't mind, because she knows that her patience will be rewarded. The butcher will always give us a small piece of fleischwurst for the dog (they do this for young kids that come into the shop as well, trying to get them hooked while they are young). Frannie has learned to expect this treat when we return and enjoys her part of the bounty (as do we).
5. Cheese - I don't think Frannie will every go back to Koger cheese again. Especially the Kroger "Swiss" cheese with the drilled holes. The Emmentaler that she gets here is just so much better. The fake Emmentaler and Gouda from Holland are also pretty good. Her favorite Swiss cheese is Appenzeller. However, "cheese one" for her is French. We're talking the gooier, the riper, the smellier the better. Open up a nice ripe Camembert, and you have Frannie's complete attention.
4. Hikes - When we start to collect our boots and get ready to head out for a hike, Frannie's eyes widen and ears perk. She won't let us out of her sight, prancing from one of us to the other, occasionally touching our hand or leg with her nose to make sure that we are aware she is there. She absolutely does not want to be left behind because hiking is one of here favorite things. When we arrive at the trail, she is ecstatic. She starts by prancing proudly around the parking lot, waiting for us to get our boots on. On the trail, if Magda and I are walking together, she will be out in the lead. If we are separated, Frannie will station herself between the two of us, trying to keep us both in sight. I guess that is the collie in her. If we walk through a field, Frannie will take off running in a big circle as fast as she can. Then she comes prancing back with a big doggie smile, happy as can be to be out.
3. Ike - Ike is Frannie's boyfriend, or at least Frannie thinks so. Frannie is normally a very quiet dog that doesn't care much for other dogs. However, there is something about this Belgian shepherd that changes her whole attitude. When she see Ike, she runs over to him barking and inviting play. If there is a field, she will start running around the field in circle, hoping Ike will follow. One time she was so involved with her running that she ran right into a light pole. It startled her so, that she forgot about Ike and run back to me looking for protection from the pole. For the next week, she would not walk near one of those light poles. I literally had to walk her or sit her near those poles to make her deal with her fear.
2. Boiled Pig's Ears - When we were doing obedience training with Frannie, the instructor kept insisting that we needed to find some treat that will get Frannie excited. We found some that she found interesting, none brought real excitement. That was was until our housekeeper brought a bag of frozen pig's ears. We boiled them and refroze. Now whenever we bring them out, Frannie will jump on us wanting a piece. It is the only thing that we have come across that will make her jump on us.
1. Magda - there is no doubt what is Frannies favorite thing in Germany. When Magda is at work, she lays around waiting for her return. While she will walk with me, she is hardly excited about it. About an hour before Magda is expected home, Frannie turns into a doggie radar, ears perked for any sound from the stairs. And when she hears the right footsteps on those stairs, she will run back forth between me and the door. If I open the door for her, she scurries down with her tail flying to meet her number one thing in Germany.
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