Why does a dog's leg jump around when you scratch that certain place on his body? Phydoux is here to explain it.
OK, people keep asking me about that place they scratch us and it makes our leg go crazy. You think it’s funny, don’t you? Well, it isn’t. You are scratching our back or our stomach and suddenly that old leg starts doing a jig. You laugh and say, “He, look! Phydoux is dancing with one leg.” Then you do it again. Do you see us dogs smile? I don’t think so!
Here’s what happens. First of all, you humans have a funny bone or crazy bone or what ever you call it. It is located near your elbow. Remember how you feel when you hit your funny bone? Well, the good news is that we really don’t have elbows. Our legs bend but not exactly like an elbow. So we don’t have a funny bone. That’s good news.
When you go to the doctor, he takes a hammer and hits you right below the knee. He is checking your reflexes. He pounds the knee and you cannot keep from having your leg bounce. We don’t really have knees. You can’t pound around on our knees.
So — that spot you hit is a special place on a dog which combines the reflex action and the funny bone feeling. We feel them both at the same time. It is crazy! I don’t know how to explain the feeling. If you really, really want to know how it feels you should get someone to hit your elbow at the same time someone else hits your knee. I dare you! Nothing else in the whole world feels like this.
The spot is in different places on different dogs. I have not found why it is not the same place. You humans have the great ability to scratch around until you find it. Sometimes its on our belly and sometimes its along the side or the back. It is never between the ears. Why don’t you show you care and just scratch our head?
You need to quit hitting our touchy spot. I have a friend whose family is so crazy they continually do this so they can watch his leg bounce around. They are paying the price for it. It seems that all the exercise he was getting, built up a lot more muscles in his left leg than his right and he started walking sideways. They had to take him to the vet and he did surgery to even up the two legs. Think of that the next time want to watch us dogs suffer this embarrassing reaction.
What I call the "Ticky Spot" Used to scratch my baby Beezers's back, I'd hit one spot, that leg would get to goin'..."TickySpot! TickySpot! Think I found the TickySpot!" LOL
Didn't know it was painful to canines. :( Sorry 'bout that.
If you really, really want to know how it feels you should get someone to hit your elbow at the same time someone else hits your knee.........
Uproriously funny....oops...sorry Phydoux. A ticklish subject none the less....another good one Larry.
Ah, man! And I always thought the twitchy dance was so cute!! Poor Gus. It's only scratch between the ears from now on... that is unless I want to laugh!
Thanks for the clarification, Phydoux!
