If You Don't Ask, You Won't Receive - Dogged Determination

Anyone that has pets knows that they soon train you to understand what they want.  Some ways are subtle, some not so much.  Some you understand right away, some take some 'training' on the part of your pet. (Please note, this blog is rife with anthropomorphism, as usual.)

I would like to say that Manu, my sensitive soul, is usually easy to understand, but sometimes I cannot interpret his looks.  Things like standing or sitting and staring at the door with great concentration are very obvious, and clearly he wants out.  Although sometimes if one of us is out for the evening or away for a few days, he spends a lot of time looking wistfully out the door, wondering when the member of his beloved family will return....and why, oh why, do they always leave him.  After all these years we are still trying to get through his thick head that we always come back and that we would never, ever abandon him.  One day he might actually believe it.

Manu is also very obvious about his needs when it is close to his dinner time.  It usually starts at least one hour before his usual dinner time, and involves staring at us with tail wagging in hope.  If we tell him to go away as it is clearly too early, the dejection is obvious as he finds a place to lay down while staring sadly with those big brown eyes.  Any body movement on our part is a signal that this may, indeed, be the actual dinner time.  When we do head in the right direction, there is much dancing on big fat mastiff paws, tail wagging and sometimes some enthusiastic howling.  I like the howling the best - his pursed and wrinkled muzzle and extended neck (flopping extra skin and all) - is pretty cute.

At other times, Manu just looks at us with a worried look on his face - nothing is obviously wrong, but who knows what goes on his brain.  Maybe he feels he's not close enough to us and wants to get in our skin, just like Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs....

Manu = Buffalo Bill (a bit obsessed)

That's pretty much Manu's repertoire - as long as he is with us and/or touching us, he wants for nothing.   If you are ignoring him a bit, you get hit with that hammer of a paw.

Does this mean Chamois is technically a lap dog?

Chamois is a different kettle of fish (or dog...bad analogy but I couldn't think of a good dog one).  She does all of the usual things like asking to go out, but she adds other ways of communicating into the mix.  Sometimes to make sure she has your attention, she will quietly put her head on you, and then press down forcefully.  She does this to me in the middle of the night when she wants to go out, and I am either deeply asleep or refusing to let her out because I know she's going to bark at something.  She presses harder and harder, usually on my arm or sometimes on my neck if I'm turned away from her.  Which is what I usually do as I get a blast of doggy breath panted enthusiastically, full-force into my face.  If I continue to ignore her, she starts muttering and making all of these groaning, whinging sounds.  It's so annoying that I just want her to go away and end up doing her bidding.

Chamois has studied this technique.

The other times when Chamois wants something - you can tell that her thick Bull Arab brain is figuring out how to manipulate the system - is when she wants up on the bed.  The dogs aren't allowed on the furniture.  This works for Manu as physically he can't get himself up there.  This doesn't work for Chamois as she is stubborn, wilful and manages to get what she wants, ignoring any disciplinary measures that we may take.  Female dogs are called bitches for a reason, folks.

Chamois will walk into the bedroom with a very specific gait - I can't describe it, but I know it.  The tail wags at half measure, telegraphing her intent, while the little sides of her mouth turn up slightly, wrinkling at the corners.  There is a distinct twinkle in her eye - I think she knows that she'll get her way once again.  Damn her!  She looks at the bed, she looks in your eyes, she looks at the bed, she looks in her eyes, and then one paw gently rests on the bed, and the tail picks up its tempo, ever so slightly.  Before the word 'yes' can escape your lips, the happy pant / smile takes over her face and she hauls her big old butt up onto the bed and flops down with a triumphant grunt.  And Chamois wins  yet again.

Is there a storm coming?

Chamois also uses her growl / groan / whinge talk when she really, really needs to come back into the house.  This is often her pre-warning system of a storm coming (she normally alerts us at least an hour before the storm hits), fireworks or gunshots in the neighbourhood, or just because she really, really wants in.  Really.  And.....we haul ourselves off the couch to let her in.  Suckers! 

Upside down Manu

 

Upside down Chamois

Cuddles and belly rubs can be elicited by laying upside down, staring and slowly wagging the tail.  Ignoring these signals can cause her to growl at you.  You're never sure if that was a growl you heard at the edge of your hearing, because she doesn't move at all, just looks at you.  Continued ignoring of this growling causes it to increase in volume and ending with a higher pitched yip.  Too cute, I'm afraid, and it usually ends up with one of us laying on the floor with her for what we call a 'puppy pile-up'.  All dogs then come over and flop down for cuddles, kisses and some general loving.

Every dog we've ever had has found ways to get what they want.  I'm never sure who trains who, or if you just grow into a mutual understanding over time.  It's probably like marriage - eventually you figure out what the other one wants.

Hmmmm?