She would back off and hover while the baby got all of the attention and then she would come in for a few minutes for her own pets. They liked it when we splashed water on them and once in a while they would gently toss a few gallons back at us with a tail swipe. You had to be careful petting them because when they blew and you happened to leaning over, you got a face full of sea water. One blew my hat off and covered me. It was pretty funny and it didn't smell like fish or anything nasty at all. Most likely because they haven't eaten anything for about four months.