Stanford Plays!
 

I walked in the door this afternoon after being away for about an hour, and Stannie began to bark, spin in circles, and dash around the living room. I thought he might have to go out, so we did so, and he went. I brought him back in, and he did the same thing again. Then: he got down into the classic "play bow" position!
I was at a loss. No tug of war or roughhousing/wrestling like I do with TJ. So I hid from him, and popped out at him. Barks and play bow. So I got down on all fours, and said: "I'm gonna git ya!" He ran, spun, and hid repeatedly. More barking and yipping too. He started popping out at me!
What a hoot. I can only assume this is play. How do Yorkies play with people, anyhow?:D

awww sounds like fun.... dont ever stop ... it keeps us young!

aww... we play fetch, and tug (don't chew my head off) i let her do all the tugging and let her win most of the time, and i've been told that she has nearly perfect teeth for a yorkie :D

aww thats so cute playing hide and seek lol..we play fetch and martini bugs out she loves it and she loves to run after us also lol

Oh my gosh Matthew. That is wonderful. He has certainly come a long way. I think you are awesome!!!!!

I just love this story and am so happy Stannie is settled in enough to play .

My dogs do the same thing. We play hide and seek alot.....or I will chase them into the bed room and then they chase me out. If I can get ahead of them I will dash into another room and wait until they run past me then I jump out and scare them....but usually they are too fast for me and see where i dash into....its good exercise for the long winter months ...for them and ME.....

the other day we were playing the chase game downstairs and Lizzie ran upstairs to run into the bedroom and she didn't know that my DH was home and he scared the living day lights out of her (not on purpose) she ran under the bed crying and would not have anything to do with him the rest of the night....and now she won't play the game anymore of if she does she will stop befor she goes in to the bedroom....

Well, I asked because I have NO experience with small dogs. I think that Stannie is perhaps past the "run like mad and fetch" stage. Remember, I am used to roughhousing, big time tug o war, and really going at it. I think I am figuring out that the difference is between playing with a toddler, and playing with a 9 year old kid. I have noticed that he likes to hide under blankets, sheets, etc... so maybe hide and seek is a good game.
I am just letting him take the lead with affection and play. I don't want to be looming over him all the time, demanding it. And that seems to be working. He came in the den last night, and just barked at me. He then led me to the couch, jumped up, and sat there, looking at me and barking. So I sat down, and he came over and snuggled up next to me, and promptly dozed off. He just wanted some company!
I also found him snuggled next to TJ on the couch, so I guess that they enjoy each others company as well. My male cat continues to closely keep an eye on Stannie, but remarkably, is not pestering him anymore. They did have a run in last night (Kenneth was too close to Stanford's butt for sniffing), but while Kenneth actually "picks on" the big dog sometimes, he is content to just let Stanford sleep, and usually conks out nearby.
Stannie also fell asleep on my lap last night, for about a half hour. So maybe we are bonding. He is such a good guy.

I love this story and following your progress with Stanford :)