Getting the dogs to play sometimes takes some trickery.
They have toys lying all over the house, but they tend to follow me around and get under my feet.
So I've created the toy box.
Every day I pack up the toys that are out and then I get to make a big deal out of pulling something out of the box for them to play with.
To get them doubly excited, I throw the toy across the room and whoop-yell something to get them excited.
The whoop-yell is usually a made up word.
I've made up words for years. It started when I went into the workplace and couldn't swear (curse) anymore, and really crystallized when we first moved to the US and the hairy eyeballs I got in supermarkets made it clear to me that saying "Why the FUCK are there so many breakfast cereals?!?!?" wasn't socially acceptable.
Saying "Fattyboozlybuckawallie" is better than "Fuckingbollocksbuggery."
This word invention has served me well when trying to get the dogs to chase a toy and leave us alone for five minutes.
Here are some of the words I whoop, soprano-cheerleader style:
- "CHOOP-E-LAAAAAH!"
- "OM-POMPIE-DOOBIE!"
- "OOKIE-SHOOOOOOOKIE!"
- "WAN-A-KAT-A-LAAAAAH!"
- "BARRA-MINKIE-POOOOOOOO!"
- "ORRRA-WARRA-WARRA-WARRRRAAAAAAH!" (rolling of the R's is de rigeur)
- "GOH-GED-EEEEEEEET!" (origins of this one are obvious)
- "FAL-ESKIE-BLOO-BLOOOOOOOO!"
- "HOOOOOOO-GAJJA-WAH-WAAAAAAAAH!"
Works every time.