Daft routines

[JudyN]

I'm not sure if this evolved from times when Jasper really didn't want to go out for a walk, or from when Mr N wanted to walk him by himself and had to bribe him to come out the house leaving me at home. But now, our normal routine for when I'm walking him on my own is...

Walkie time - Jasper starts whingeing.

I get up and get ready, at which point he settles down on his bed - there's no point wasting energy whining once he knows it's served its purpose.

I open the front door, call him... nothing happens.

I say 'Aren't you coming? Shall I leave you here? Shall I see you later?'

Not a muscle moves...

'See you later then!' I say, turning to go out the door... At which point, finally, he gets up and joins me. Every. single. walk. I now just rattle off 'Aren't you coming? Shall I leave you here? Shall I see you later? See you later then!' as fast as I can. It just seems to have become his routine - the 'proper' way to leave the house.

Oh, and then there's the routine where when he finally comes out of the front room to the hall for his walk, he then has to go into the dining room, turn round, and come back into the hall, so he's facing the right way... or something

Has anyone else's dogs invented pointless routines that you have to go along with?

 

[JoanneF]

Oh yes. Timber gets two treats every day, a turmeric sausage and a dried fish skin. He eats them outside as the fish is smelly.

He used to eat the sausage, then he would be given the fish. Now he won't eat the sausage until he has the fish too. He will leave the sausage and ignore it until he is given the fish, then he eats the sausage first and the fish after.

Dogs are weird.

 

[Inka]

Sign of a very bright dog.... they make up their own or change your 'rules'

 

[JudyN]

I heard - probably on here - of a dog who wouldn't eat his meal until the other dog in the household had had his. Even after the other dog died, the owner had to put down the other dog's bowl, wait, and pick it up again before the dog would eat his own meal.

 

[Inka]

I heard - probably on here - of a dog who wouldn't eat his meal until the other dog in the household had had his. Even after the other dog died, the owner had to put down the other dog's bowl, wait, and pick it up again before the dog would eat his own meal.

Unfortunately often happens, including to mine. My eldest dog (now) was always the baby of the 'pack' and as such always had other dogs to follow and her game was to wait until all the dogs had eaten so she could watch and then 'guard' her food, once they finished theirs and took notice she still had hers, then lost interest she would eat.
Left with just two dogs when I lost her mum she refused to eat to the point of losing so much weight and literally starving herself. It was frightening so I had to come up with a completely new feeding routine (not easy when you feed raw)
I eventually got her eating never in the home ( unless I took advantage of friends dogs visiting/staying) , always on walks as I didn't feed 'treats' it was new to have a pocket full of 'food' and even today (years later) she still asks for food when out. It wasn't until I got my pup and day one she reverted to waiting until the pup had eaten, sat and watched her own food, waited until the pup took notice she had her food still. then she eats it... and I have a cat but the cat doesn't count in her world of guarding/eating, in fact the cat could and would eat her food, all she was interested in was another dogs taking notice.

 

[Finsky]

Oh dear....where do I begin about 'daft stuff'
Well...following Judy's lead about going out. To start with, we don't tend to mention THE 'W' or the hell breaks loose and we have overly excited terriers on our hands to deal with....but they keep eye on our each and every move.
OH finishes his work at mid morning and until then there is not many signs of life in our house.
Girls get up with OH, going to their first wee of the day and then get back to sleep with me....I get up couple of hours later and they just roll over on my warm spot in a bed and carry on. Sometime later I give them their morning 'rich tea' but it is not until they hear OH's car pulling on the street and then the watch start. Oh and Iida won't usually eat her bickie if it is given whole, so for her I will 'have to' break it into smaller pieces OR preferably being dipped into my tea..others gobble theirs what ever form theirs is.
Soon after OH arrival I nip upstairs for change for 'going out clothes' and when I came down girls look me up from top to bottom to see what message I'm sending/ what is the promise for the day...and if I have socks in my hand = 'YAYYYYY..that must mean we are going out...NOW'!
And when I ask the girls 'where is your harness?'....they will be running around like maniacs and waiting outside to get them on...ready to storm out. There is lot of 'talking involved' too..they yap, growl, bark, yawn squeals, yodel, whimper and do back chatting..all sorts of noises, until they get what they want.
Getting the girls ready for some 'action' in a garden is easy...you only have to say 'pussycat'/rattie/intruders or pigeon and you are causing a tidal wave of terrier flesh to pour through the door I barely have time to open the door for them and I always have to pick our 'little one' up when letting others out as she gets bit too roused up with her terrier ways. By picking her up her reaction is little delayed and others can get out of way before she storms out letting the world know of her arrival.....but all that is reserved for the evening/night time...they don't get excited that way during daylight hours.....
The little ones are always the worst...
Ours like to eat together too....but if one of them is not happy with the food/the choice....others will be slow to get interested too. They are always called for their 'din din' and I scoop the plate full of food close by their noses before putting it down on floor....just to tempt their appetite and give them nose full of promising aroma

 

[RGC]

First thing, Mabel’s let out for her morning wee into the garden where George, the cat, is invariably hiding under a bush to ambush her. Sometimes his timing’s perfect and he’ll wrap his front paws around her neck like a lion trying to bring down a wildebeest. Other times he misses but either way we’re treated to them chasing each other. I have videoed such events but haven’t been able to upload them onto a message. Then it’s breakfast which is another story….

 

[JoanneF]

have videoed such events but haven’t been able to upload them onto a message

The only way I have found to do that is to create a YouTube channel, make it private if you wish so that only people who are given links to the videos cause them, then copy and paste the link here.

It isn't as complicated as it sounds, I'm a bit of a Technosaurus and managed (somehow).

 

[RGC]

The only way I have found to do that is to create a YouTube channel, make it private if you wish so that only people who are given links to the videos cause them, then copy and paste the link here.

It isn't as complicated as it sounds, I'm a bit of a Technosaurus and managed (somehow).

Thank you, JoanneF. I’ll get working on that ‘twixt getting to grips with ablative absolutes. Who’d have thought that retirement could be so exciting?