Rubber Duckie, You're the One

[dressagetraks]

Today on an aide shift, I was cleaning out a top closet shelf. One of those “things got stuffed there 10 years ago when we moved in” shelves. Client can no longer get up there. I was on a stepstool, and she was in her recliner in the room behind me. I would pull out each item, and she would pass verdict of keep it/toss it/what is it.

In this closet shelf for all occasions, I found a rubber duck. Classic kid bathtub toy; it made me start humming the song right away. Client said to just put it to one side on the floor, and when I got done, I could take it into the bathroom and put it with bath toys for her great granddaughter in the thing-o-bath-toys under the sink.

I dutifully tossed the duck aside, giving it a little pitch to land it farther out than the growing throw-it-away and refile-it piles beside my stepstool.

And the little poodle went berserk. Poodle came up out of an alleged nap across the room with a happy bark and was on that thing in 0.5 seconds. Both the client and I were surprised, because this poodle is no fan of rubber toys. She has plenty, and she boycotts them. She would rather have chew-bone material things. But for some reason, that rubber duck was da bomb.

Five minutes later when I finished sorting the shelf and descended, the poodle was still working on that rubber duck. She had taken it behind the recliner into her personal retreat. I asked if she should just have it, and the client was worried that it would be chewed to bitty bits within a day and possibly eaten. This was never designed as a dog toy. So I went around into the personal retreat. The dog eyed me, and I just walked right over like there was no question of ownership at all and just took it. This dog has had some dog aggression issues lately but never people aggressive. She didn’t growl or fight for the duck, but she just looked up at me, stub tail going, pleading eyes, like, “You really aren’t going to take that away, are you?”

I did. Took it into the bathroom, followed by the poodle, and deposited it in the great-granddaughter’s bath toys. Great-granddaughter comes at least every other weekend, and she will have to watch that thing to keep it in the tub.

The whole rest of the shift, the poodle followed me with an expression of hopeful puzzlement. She just couldn’t understand it. :no: Such expressive body language, too. Client was laughing and said, “At least she thinks it’s all your fault, not mine.”

We have no idea what it was about that duck. It really would have had a short lifespan as a poodle toy, though.

[Louise]

Here’s one that says it’s made as a dog/cat toy. Rubber duckie

[dressagetraks]

The Return of the Duck.

(Sounds like a bad movie sequel, doesn’t it?)

Said client had her bathroom remodeled a few months ago as she was having trouble getting in and out of the tub. It now has a walk-in shower with a very low rim, maybe 3 inches, and WIDE, like about 6 feet. Plenty of room for her bath bench inside to sit and use her hand-held shower. She loves it. Said shower is a sort of one-piece insert that has multiple shelves along the back of it. You could, if you wished, store eight bottles of shampoo easily, each to their own cubby.

This last weekend, her great-granddaughter came and played in the shower. She had the rubber duckie out of the caddy under the sink, and the client, when she was helping kid dry off after the shower, just stuck it next to the shampoo bottle on a top shelf in the back corner. The poodle doesn’t get in the shower - represents baths to her, so she avoids it. Client figured the duck was safe enough up there. It was a good 5 feet up, shower is deep, poodle wouldn’t even know it’s there, much less be able to reach it.

I was putting sheets on the bed in the master bedroom today when I heard her just burst out laughing. Then she called me and said, “Come look at this.”

I came around the corner into the hall, and she was in the bathroom on the toilet. She always leaves the door open, because she is afraid if she fell with the door closed, she would fall against the door, and help would have trouble getting in to her. So here was the poodle at her feet, having followed her through the door with the usual pet fascination for human bathroom trips.

She was pointing. Exactly like a bird dog would if she hadn’t been a full-blooded poodle. She was stock still at client’s feet, staring up into that corner of the shower, right front paw raised and curved, pointing at the duck.

Neither one of us could believe she even spotted it up there, much less remembered it from months ago. She spent the rest of the day going from one to the other of us, asking us to get it down.

Client is still worried about toxic and choking risks on little rubber bits, and this thing is not dog-toy sturdy, so she didn’t get it. The dog did get a toy after the first episode and promptly boycotted it. As mentioned in the OP, she has never been a fan of chew toys.

But that duck. For some reason, that duck . . .

Client will put it back under the sink so as not to taunt her and only get it out for showers, when the dog is avoiding water and isn’t in there.

I swear, this is a poodle. You can tell looking at her. 100% certified, purebred poodle. But we’re starting to wonder if she’s always wanted to be a bird dog.

[EquestrianRunner]

OK I am glad my poodle is not the only one who is OBSESSED with rubber ducks!!! I thought Bailey (my mini poodle), was obsessed with rubber ducks, because I have a huge collection – I get them wherever I go someplace new, I have them from all over…

Anyway, Bailey and your clients poodle maybe are oddly related? Or maybe they send each other secret text messages, like “hey, did you find a duck?”…If Bailey can’t get something she wants (if it is pushed too far under the couch, or she cant reach it), she will look at you, then 1 little happy bark, then look at where the duck (or ball) is, then look at you. She will repeat this until you get the toy. Rubber ducks are her favorite-- she doesn’t usually like rubber toys, but man, rubber ducks make for great fetching toys!

We do give Bailey regular rubber ducks-- but at the age of 6, she has never destroyed a toy. Ever. So we figure it is pretty safe.

Recently, we ordered some bath toys for my nephew from Amazon. As soon as I opened the box, Bailey was right there, wanting to get into the bath toys. We have been working very hard to make sure that baby toys and dog toys stay separate. (they are so similar, its crazy!!!). But Bailey was determined. We said “no Bailey, these are Owen’s toys”. We took them up to the bathroom, and put them under the sink in the cabinet. Later that night, Bailey must have smelled them?, I don’t know, but she went in the bathroom (one we never use!), and stood at the sink whining. Then she came and got me, and brought me to the sink… Then when my sister and the baby came over for an overnight, and they gave the baby a bath, after they finished with the bath and were getting the baby ready for bed, Bailey, the little devil she is, snuck into the bathroom and stole 3 of the little bath fish-type toys (I think the package had like 15?)… It is very cute, but really you cant hide anything from Bailey.

I love her dearly and glad that my poodle is not the only one who is obsessed with rubber ducks! :lol::winkgrin:

[csaper58]

Poodles are bird dogs they came into being in France as water dogs/retrievers. I believe they are also one of the smartest breeds.

[EquestrianRunner]

Yes, very smart. Sometimes too smart!!!

The water retrieving is funny, Bailey (my dog), has webbed toes.

[dressagetraks]

I didn’t realize they were retrievers. Odd then that this one dislikes water so much. Or maybe she’s just never experienced water au pond and only had the bathe-the-dog version.