Are your dogs ever silly? I don’t know what the term would be in dog world, but in human language, it is best described as silly!
I have written previously about Melody, a tiny Yorkie with a horrible past. If she never exuded a moment of happiness or silliness, it would be understandable. She, however, is beyond animated when she sees me approach or is ready for a meal.
She crab crawls, wiggles, spins, rolls and turns in excitement. She reminds me that regardless of how someone appears or what their past experiences have been, inside there may be a little silly waiting to express itself.
We expect puppies to be silly and on some days look forward to when they grow up. Melody, on the other hand, is far from being puppy age and is getting her silly on later in life. She shows us that it’s ok. I think I’ll join her.
I tried and tried to get the dogs to stay awake to help celebrate the coming of the New Year 2010. As their heads bobbed and soft snoring could be heard around the room, I decided to join them. This year, I would celebrate like dogs do.
They go to bed every night and wake up every morning without a care. They sleep when it’s night (and day) and don’t complain when they wake up – whether it’s in the middle of the night or at the dawn of a day. They don’t get anxious or worry that they didn’t do enough last year or what they will do in the coming year.
While it is not exactly how I see my life going this year, it’s a great way to start every day. Every day is a new day and every new day makes a new year. I looked at the dogs and said, “Thanks for that awareness.” They replied, “What the heck are you talking about…where’s our breakfast?” Enough said. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
It is fascinating to read the studies on the analysis of dogs and their expression of emotion. We, of course, refer to emotion in the sense that we experience it. Dogs; however, live in the moment so their emotion may be more raw than ours. I don’t think they are capable of deceiving us by expressing an emotion they aren’t really feeling at the moment. They don’t pretend as well as we do!
There are fun photographs of dogs smiling. And they do! Some more than others, but it still qualifies as a smile. I also have seen more than my share of grumpy-doggy face. The “it’s you again” look on some dogs when I (the trainer) show up for another training session can be very comical – for us humans more so than the dog.
With the cooler temperatures, the dogs seem quite content to cuddle on their beds a little longer than normal. And, some days, I think they get up on the wrong side of their cedar-chipped, double-organic-fiber-stuffed, memory foam dog beds! Perhaps they have bad dreams and restless nights too; so, I will cut them some slack.
Regardless, I think it’s fun to notice that much like a little child, a dog’s expression of “emotion” shifts in a nano-second. In a flash, they go from grump-dog to tail-waggin’-ready-for-a-walk dog. I wish it were that easy for us two-leggers! Once again, we learn from our dogs how blessed it is to live in the moment.
Lola, a beautiful Goldendoodle belonging to a friend of mine living in Arizona, has been trained by Cesar Millan! While I would like to receive a little credit for her obedient behavior, I have to admit the credit goes to Cesar, the Dog Whisperer (as if I needed to add his title).
The amazing aspect of her training is that she never met Cesar! I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself. The photos below tell the story and show that she is smarter than your average Goldendoodle! Here is she is being “personally” trained by Cesar Millan.
I like to carry my leash but this dog looks like he is trying to play tug-of-war with Cesar. Even I know that’s not a good idea!
Forget that loser dog, Cesar – look at me! I’m Lola! I luff you!
You say it, Cesar, and I’ll do it! I’m a good girl!
As my dog ran inside eating something not intended for dog consumption, I said, “drop it! You’ll be sicker than a…..a…..a dog?” I quickly changed it to sicker than a human. Generally speaking, I believe dogs are much healthier than their humans. Considering the amazing food they have for dogs and that the requirements for food-quality are higher than on human food, dogs aren’t what I think of when someone is sick.
A dog can’t be a hypochondriac or feign a soar throat to get out of obedience class. They may drink their water too fast, but they don’t typically over-indulge and regret it the next day. We may quickly use antibacterial wipes after petting a dog, but I would imagine that the medicines in the cabinet are not for the dog.
Next time someone tells you they are sicker than a dog, I wouldn’t worry too much.
Perhaps you saw the segment on Animal Planet where a teacher taught his Labrador to read. The dog would read words printed on a flash card, and amazingly enough, would follow through with the instruction on the card! This is impressive.
I have seen a lot of amazing demonstrations of a dog’s intelligence, but the following tops them
all. . .my dog, Mac, can read books! In fact, he reads until he falls asleep. I think
I heard him say, “if only I had thumbs, turning pages would be so much easier.” Now I know what he was talking about.
I know you’ve heard it more than once from me that dogs bark. That’s their voice. How much they have to say and when they say it, may need to be fine-tuned!
As a personal note, my little guy, Moby (please never tell him he is little), feels the need to exit the slider as he announces to any and all who might go before, after, or are outside when he approaches that he is coming and he is to be feared.
As the temperatures cool and dogs (in the desert) are out more, they may become more excited (accompanied by vocal expression – i.e., barking) in exclamation that they can once again be given free access to the outside world that fears and respects them.
Tonight, Moby was declaring his presence to a neighboring dog. I walked outside and sometimes that alone is enough. This time, I gave the human hand signal for “cut” by turning my flattened hand toward my neck as I said “ixnay arkingbay.” He stopped immediately and hasn’t barked since.
Why do I share this moment of enlightment? To let you know that once your dog listens, respects, and responds to you, you can even speak in pig Latin and they will get it. It all means stop, and most important is the energy behind your words. Their respect for you will be evident.
