Doggone Etiquette—

Why? Because!

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:           

As far as we humans know, you dogs don’t even think about, or worry about, or try to explain why you do anything you ever do. You scratch when and where you feel an itch, and that’s the end of it. You don’t try to decide if it’s a flea bite or not. You ask to be let out because you need to, or you just want to, or because you’re bored being indoors. No explanation required. You chase cats, chipmunks, squirrels, or falling leaves. Why? Because it’s fun, or exercise, or a dog’s love of pursuit, but you aren’t burdened with having to explain to anyone — canine or human — as to why you do it. Or, for that matter, why you don’t do it.

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:              

We, on the other hand, try to reason why our dogs do, or don’t, do almost everything, and we come up with some pretty quirky answers. We look at the situation in human terms. Rufus barks like fury when a friend or family member is coming into the house. “Oh,” we say, “he’s giving you his royal welcome.” Really? Or is the dog on guard, or afraid, or none of the above? Why we look for an explanation is possibly to satisfy our own need for it          

Let’s say you are going out, leaving the dog alone. There’s no way to answer the dog’s possible question as to why you are leaving or when you’ll be back. There’s no way you can leave him a message. No, a cellphone won’t do it. You can’t explain that you’re going shopping and will be back in 15 minutes or three and a half hours. There are, however, certain clues you can pass along to the dog which Rufus will pick up on as long as you are consistent. He cannot reason that you have to go shopping and therefore might bring him back a treat any more than he can figure out that this time it’s a trip to your doctor’s office. But the dog can learn to accept the routine of your departure and rest more easily that you will return.                

Before you take off, walk him or let him outdoors to relieve himself. Put down fresh water, and a few biscuits wouldn’t hurt. Leave the radio on low. With everything in place, it’s “Goodbye, Rufus” and out the door. That’s when our human guilt can take over. Don’t mess it up with pangs of separation anxiety on your part! Establish the routine and Rufus will go along with it, minus any need for explanations.      

Problems crop up when we look at the dog’s way of life in human terms, which may have something to do with the fact that we expect our children to tell us their reasons for everything they do or don’t do, want, or don’t want. We’d like our dogs to cooperate in this way, so we could better understand their needs and objectives. This does not refer to any physical distress the dog may undergo; that would be recognized by you, his owner, and taken care of. But — once again — the dog would not necessarily know or think about why he was limping, bleeding, or in pain.                          

Sorry, dog folks, but our dogs do leave us in the dark — or keep us guessing — when it comes to what’s going on in their heads. That’s just a small part of why we become infatuated with them. Perhaps it’s also a large part of their somewhat mystical hold over us.  

When it comes down to why Rufus does what he does, we might as well retreat to that old standby childhood answer — “just because.”

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.