You Don’t Train Them; They Train You

We’re the humans and he’s the animal, right? So, who is in charge?

If you have a pet – especially a dog or cat – and you think you’re the one who controls things, you may want to give that some additional thought. Here’s what I mean…

This morning Kay Lynne was at a ladies’ function at church. I was reading (dozing, actually) in my recliner when Buddy, our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, nudged my leg. He’s a great dog in that he doesn’t bark or tug at your pants when he wants to tell you something. He just nudges your knee.

I looked at the clock, and, sure enough, it was exactly the time we usually start to prepare lunch. But grandma wasn’t home, and I wasn’t paying attention to him. I explained to him that we’d eat in a short time as soon as she got home, and he finally accepted it and laid down.

I then remembered some similar behavior this past week. Our daily routine following lunch, if we’re home, is that I go down to my office to continue whatever I was doing, and Kay Lynne retreats to her work area in our bedroom. One day this week I happened to change the routine.

Buddy immediately came over and nudged me and whined a bit. At first I didn’t put together what was going on. But a little later when I finally went to the office, he plopped himself down beside me with a sigh. I suddenly got it.

Now that I think about it some more, he often even likes to anticipate what we’re going to do and beat us to it. After lunch, he’ll pick either where Kay Lynne will be or where I’ll be, and he’ll go sit by the appropriate door and wait. He's an "equal opportunity" dog, alternating his time with his “persons.”

Our little Bud knows exactly what should happen and when it should happen.. And if it doesn’t, he kindly lets us know.

So, who runs the show? I think we all know.