I know some of y'all have been curious about Bear and the ice dispenser, so here he is with cheese vs. no cheese.
We cheese him for several reasons:
- It's not safe for him to be so wild on the slippy floor, as seen by him almost falling
- He used to bite us in his excitement and he got better about that, but still, why risk it?
- It's obviously triggering to him for some reason and why rile him up if we don't have to?
He was definitely worse when we first got him - biting and body-checking, and trying to maul the fridge. I think that repeated exposure to the noise every day with cheese has lessened his reaction to a more playful vibe because I can obviously get ice now - it's just not worth doing without the cheese. 😂 We've been doing this for almost a year now - it's hard to believe we've had him for that long!
You can tell he's on alert the moment the fridge chimes when I change the dispenser from water to ice. Unfortunately, his wild response isn't limited to only the ice dispenser. He does this for basically any rumbling noise, including moving the trash and recycling bins weekly. We just manage him with treats and/or keeping him away from the noise (locking him in the house when we move the bins).
Edited to add: Other long-lasting treats work IF HE'S INTERESTED. He'll grab his bones and run outside if he likes it. If not, you can see the struggle as he tries to contain himself for the treat.
