Doggone Etiquette—

Tomorrow?

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:

You dogs are lucky in so many ways. You don’t have to do the shopping, or the cooking, or the cleaning up. (Okay, you do some of the cleaning up, like when food just happens to drop on the floor.) But mostly, you just take one day at a time, as it comes and goes. You let tomorrow take care of itself. Going to the vet for a shot may make you a bit nervous when you get there, but you aren’t dreading it from the day the appointment is made. It’s as if tomorrow may never come. You live only for today. Or do you?

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:

This subject of dogs’ concern with the future came up when members of a group of dog owners, including yours truly, were discussing what we do when having to leave our dogs at home for longer than a couple of hours. We compared notes on all the preparations we made for the dog prior to walking out the door. Such things as being sure Rufus had been exercised, that he would be secure, had water available, and to the best of our ability to make certain there was nothing in the way of mischief that he could get into.

Then almost every person mentioned that just before they walked out the door, they left their dog with either a lasting treat of some kind, perhaps a chew stick, or even some kibble in the dog’s dish. That is when the concept of a dog’s idea of “tomorrow” entered the picture. 

How many times has this happened to you? You follow the outline pretty much as described above. You leave without any of those forbidden fond farewells, cuddles, or kisses. Instead you correctly put the treat in place and give the dog a cheerful “Be good. See you!” as you go out the door. Right? If this casual kind of goodbye is not what you normally do, please try it. It is a lot less stressful on your dear dog than drawing out your departure.                 

Here is what these dog owners were close to unanimous about. Almost every time they returned home after an hour or two, the food, chew stick, or other treat had not been touched. Either their dog greeted the returning owner and then rushed to get the treat, or brought it (in his mouth, but still intact) to welcome them home! We all agreed that the dogs seem to be saving it just in case we did not return. So, do you suppose at least sometimes our dogs do indeed think ahead to what at least is their version of tomorrow?     

No doubt some of you will be saying your dog tears the house apart if you leave for more than five minutes. This could be a lack of sufficient exercise. Or it can be due to separation anxiety and there are several ways to cure the problem, all of which come down to that good old “saturation” process we talk about so often. Whatever it is that causes Rufus to get antsy about your leaving him, such as getting dressed up to go out, or picking up the car keys — whatever it is — do it over and over again without even going out the door! Gradually, he may seem puzzled by this, so add going out the door or even getting into the car and then returning immediately. Only very slowly add to the length of time you are away and then remember to leave the treat, just say, “Bye” and go! No ecstatic greeting upon your return, just a “Hi, Rufus!” You could add, “Good dog” if the house is all in one piece!                   

Perhaps separation anxiety, which is fairly common in dogs, is the canine view of a stressful tomorrow without a loving lord and master.

Until next time — BE GOOD!

—Bardi

Bardi McLennan bred, trained and showed Welsh Terriers for 30 years, during which time she wrote a monthly column on canine behavior in Dog Fancy Magazine. In addition to contributing to numerous dog publications, she has written 15 books on dogs, the latest being Rescue Me!, which received the ASPCA Humane Issues Award in 2008.