Dog Tuning You Out?

 I see this all the time at our dog park.  

The dog, let's call him Buddy, is off the leash, walking in the grass and through the trees, sniffing around and exploring.  The owner, let's call him Jim, is walking along the path.  Buddy is moving in the same direction as Jim, and is consistently about 20 feet from him.  All is how it should be.

Then why is it that I hear Jim call Buddy over and over again for no reason?

"Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy........"

Now, Buddy is not doing anything wrong.  He is aware of Jim's location and is within direct line of sight at all times.  So why does Jim feel the need to call Buddy's name over and over?  Does Jim want Buddy to come to him?  Doesn't look that way. Is it because he expects Buddy to walk right beside him?  Probably not.  Is it because Buddy is not looking at him?  Maybe.  Does he NEED buddy to look at him?  No.

And yet the calling continues.

"Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy........"

It's like Jim is the proverbial nagging wife, and Buddy is the beer swigging, football watching husband who completely ignores her.

"Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy........"

Unfortunately all Jim is doing is teaching Buddy to tune him out.  If he suddenly has a reason for calling Buddy over to him, he will get no response.  Furthermore, Buddy no longer has to see where Jim is, because he can hear him.  This allows Buddy to wander farther away.

"Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy. Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy.  Buddy........"

I hike with my dogs all the time.  I let them run all over the forest, and chase squirrels and bunnies.  There are many times when I don't see them or hear them.  But they hear me.  They hear my foot steps.  How do I know?  Because I've never seen two more concerned faces running towards me at top speed as I did the day I had to stop to adjust my sock and re-tie my shoe.

So resist the urge to call your dog's name repeatedly.  Recognize that you are doing it for your own comfort and not the dog's.  And don't worry, your dog knows where you are and will not let you get away.  After all, you're the one who serves up the delicious meals, and yummy treats!

Dog Park in the Rain

It was drizzling slightly when we went to the dog park the other day.  But it was still warm and bright outside. 

Unfortunately, we only saw one other doggie family.  We joked around that the dogs that come to our dog park don't poo when it's raining.  Or on Friday evenings - but that's another story.

The girls were a little sad that they were the only ones in the park when we got there.  They just walked side by side, moping.  This was SO not the dog park adventure they had envisioned.

They were all squinty so that the rain didn't get in their eyes.

And at first, they weren't too thrilled about getting wet.

They didn't want anything to do with their favorite swimming spot.

So what's left to do?

  

Wrestle around and play of course!

So next time you look out the window and the weather is not cooperating, ignore it and make a rainy day doggie play date.  Your dogs will love it!

What do you do with your dogs when it's raining?