Boston Baby: Sir Snorts A Lot

Ares snorts all the time. To say he snorts a lot would be a huge understatement because he probably doesn’t go more than a few minutes without snorting. He’s a little furry black and white snorting machine.

Boston Terriers are among the breeds considered to be smushy face dogs. That’s the technical term but basically it just means dogs with short, flat faces. Some people find the snorting comical or endearing while others find it rather irritating and annoying. But the latter probably just have never met a dog like Ares.

Snorting is a preferred method of communication for Ares. He snorts to convey an array of emotions. It takes a trained ear and spending way too much time talking to Ares to learn the meaning behind all his various snorts.

He snorts when he’s excited. Usually these snorts are quick, in close repetition and pretty loud. He will generally break out the excited snorts when we are getting ready to go somewhere and he knows he is coming or when he’s awaiting some delicious treats he knows are for him.

 

He snorts when he is mad. I know it’s hard to believe with that sweet, innocent little face, but Ares tends to get into trouble from time to time. We like to use positive reinforcement for good behavior but sometimes bad behavior cannot simply be ignored. Ares is much more stubborn and less sensitive than his brother Chaos so sometimes it takes a firmer approach to discipline him. If I have to tell him no in my “mean voice” or take away his beloved blanky, he gets a little upset. I get a big burst of a snort followed by a bark and then usually another big, loud snort. We have a mini stare down and then he finally gives me one final snort of indignation and turns his back to me or trots off to get into something else. I feel like it’s his version of sticking his tongue out at me; like he’s sassing me. And he rarely does this to Chris. Rude.

He snorts when he’s bored. If it’s raining too hard to take a walk or he is the only furbaby who wants to play, he will plop down on his belly, lower his head and give out a long, slow snort with a sigh at the end. Like his life is so tragic and hard, er, ruff. It is also accompanied by this pitiful look. And I mean pitiful, not pit-i-ful.

 

He snorts when he plays. These are more like pulsing snorts. They aren’t in such rapid succession as the excited snorts but still short and close together, just with longer pauses in between. The playful snorts are also at an even tone and he throws in some play barks, growls and head tilts to mix it up.

He even snorts when he sleeps. Yes, plenty of dogs snore when they sleep. Some of them I’ve heard can rival and surpass their human counterparts on the snore scale. But Ares snorts when he sleeps. They start out long and kind of quiet and then as he falls deeper into sleep they become longer and louder, just like a snore, but clearly a snort. It’s a good thing his roommate Chaos and the kitties don’t seem to mind when they sleep by him. But it can be quite distracting for us humans.

Yes, I realize an entire post on my dog’s snorts is a little ridiculous. But don’t tell me you don’t know your owns furbabies’ styles of communication just as well. Or that you didn’t find this at least a little bit entertaining.

Have a snortin’ good Thursday!