Doggone Etiquette —

Sneak And Hide

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:

Are you pretty good or very good at finding things? I’ll bet you’re really good at finding bits of food on the floor that the kids drop after you’ve nudged them. Or maybe you sneak away from the person you are supposed to be trotting along next to just so you can investigate a dead squirrel on the road. If you’re clever at that kind of sneak and find, how are you at the game people play called “hide and seek”? If you’ve tried it, you’ll know it’s the “hide” part that can be tough for dogs.

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:

Every dog owner has at one time or another witnessed their dog finding a goodie (or even a baddie for that matter). Any bit of food left unattended and within the dog’s reach is fair game, but the socks you just took off are not! That’s all just stealing. But how does your Rufus score when it comes to hiding things – stolen or not? Well, let me tell you about a very clever 18-month-old dog I had some years ago. He taught me a thing or two about “sneak” and “hide.”

Taking a book off the shelf one day revealed an un-chewed dog biscuit tucked behind the book. When offered this treat, my Rufus appeared to be more casually disinterested than delighted with my unexpected find. A few days later a small fuzzy dog toy was discovered in the linen closet behind a pile of sheets. For that one I blamed myself for having left the closet door open … but still. Vacuuming under the sofa another day brought out a whole cucumber. A golf glove that had been searched for high and low was found in a pile of old magazines. A long reach into a tall boot in my closet brought up a tennis ball. Rufus wasn’t building a museum or storage shed for his stolen treasures because only one item was ever found in each hiding place.

However this was beginning to get out of hand. All this time the culprit, Rufus, was never once seen stealing anything or stashing any stolen item. Granted it was as amusing as it was puzzling, but we were dealing with a young dog that needed to be promptly straightened out. The object stolen or the spot chosen to hide it could easily become dangerous for everyone, so firm rules went into effect. Rufus was crated with his own toys when left alone. A sharp-eyed member of the family followed every movement when he was free in order to prevent possible thievery. He was kept on lead even in the house when a sharp eye was not available! As positive alternatives, we added a lot more energetic playtime and lots of “good dog” training sessions.

Whether Rufus outgrew his need to steal and to have secret hideaways, or simply accepted his people’s house rules, we’ll never know. It did come to an end, and even though we never knew how or why he did it, his clever canine activity has given us plenty of laughs. Who knows, in a situation other than as a family pet, he might have turned out to be an excellent candidate for Search and Rescue.

The point of this yarn is simply to show once again that each dog we ever own comes to us with an individual personality (and a few quirks) and these small differences are what make each one special – both in the dog’s lifetime and in our memories of them.

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; Rescue Me! received the ASPCA Humane Issues Award in 2008.