Why is it....

That the big dog prefers the little bone and the little dog prefers the big bone? Whjy do each of them chew on their respective bones for a bit and then swap? Are they just waiting for the other one to soften it up? Do they like the taste of each other's mouth? Do they even think about it beyond... hey, that guy has a bone and I want it. Little dog Ollie is a great bone stealer, snatching them up and then tucking them under his body as if he were a hen trying to hatch her chicks. Bigger dog Rocco doesn't care how often a bone has been chewed, if there is bone left he will chew it. Years ago I found a low sided plastic basket someplace that has become our very own fossil bed, holding and uncounted number of bones that I suspect could actually build some kind of animal if I only knew how to assemble them. When rocco gets the urge to chew, he wanders over to the basket pushing the bones around with his nose until he finds just the right one. He settles down for a good gnaw or two and then Ollie will run to the door in a hurry signaling that something outside needs investigating. Rocco lurches to his feet, gallops to the door, puts on the brakes and slides into the door with a thuwmp. He rights himself and does a version of the peepee dance while Ollie muscles his way to the front of the line. I open the door, hook Rooco to his chain and then Ollie zips back in to the bone that Rocco had so carefully chosen and snatches it for himself. Meanwhile Rocco is still trying to figure out why he's outside, where's Ollie and then decides to bark at random shadows just in case he's missing something. One of these days he's going to catch on and Ollie will have to think of a new trick.