(what follows is adapted from a post by the author to the mailing
list for Leonberger owners, the LeoList,
in June 2001. All text and photos copyright 2002 Brian McCorkle)
People new to the Leonberger community are often confused by the frequent references to "Spithead". The term not being found in the Oxford English Dictionary, I asked my two resident experts, Chief and Beaumont. They offered the following lexicon of this favorite Leonberger sport:
Spithead: a game of skill in which the object is to cover the head of another dog with as much of your own saliva as possible by play-biting and gnawing about the head and ruff. An essential point of the game is not to *actually* bite, so as to convince the other dog that it is in fact a game. Chasing each other madly about the field adds style points. Highly skilled players know that rolling over while being chased fools the other dog into coming close enough for major spit-transfer. Most rounds are initiated by playbows, with pauses between rounds for panting, drinking, and looking cool. It is not necessary to have bowed in order to score points, but failure to bow for long periods is considered boorish and may cause your partner to lose interest.
Beaumont, 7/2001, one year old, before his sister Godot
arrived for a one-hour playdate. What a handsome lad.
Beaumont, 7/2001, after his sister Godot left. Notice that the back is dry -- the head and neck are not, however!
Puppy Spithead: the younger set generally hasn't figured
out the "not actually bite" part. Sharp little teeth. Ouch! Aw, but they're
sooo cute, especially when they growl that deep throaty "I'm going to
tear your ears off" growl...
Slam Spithead (also called Jousting): males especially prize a variant which begins with squaring off at a goodly distance, saluting or bowing, charging full tilt straight at each other, jumping into the air at the last moment and slamming chests together. Repeat as desired.
<This space awaits a wonderful picture of Jousting. Do you have
one to contribute?>
Crocodiles and Alligators: all that running about the
place can get tiring! But how can you NOT play when a good partner is
found?! Simply lie down within reach of your partner and continue mouthing
at each other like a couple of crocodiles or alligators. Except your hair
looks way better (what IS it with crocodiles, they all look like they
got the mange or allergies or something!)
Icicle Art: a seasonal specialty of the North Country, Icicle Art is created by draping your play partner in tasteful arrays of frozen spit. Unlike Mud Art or Eau de Putrescence, which both have some staying power, Icicle Art disappears within moments after entering warm places. A fleeting thing of beauty, it is the transience itself that gives such poignancy and magic to the art form.
Squirrel Spithead: What happens when you play spithead with a squirrel? Click here to find out!
Brian, on behalf of the SpitMeisters Chief and Beaumont,
who say that a good game of Spithead is hard work
