Doggone Etiquette —

Bragging Rights

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:           

How many times have you tried to tell Bucky, your dog friend next door, how much better a dog you are than he is? For that matter, how often do you try to lord it over the sleepy cat that shares your home? Then, of course, there are the kids in your family – do you let them know how great you are?  What kinds of things do you do to make your point? Do you march through every door in front of them?  Or do you show off how strong you are by destroying anything of theirs that fits in your mouth. Sometimes being a braggart is okay. For example, while your Very Important Person is telling his neighbor how fantastic you are with a soccer ball, you have every right to strut around them with head and tail held high. Just keep to yourself the time you successfully stole half a hamburger off the kitchen table and they blamed it on the cat.

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:

There’s no denying it. Every dog owner finds something about their dog they can brag about, and some owners can boast about almost anything their dog does! It’s so much easier to brag about your dog’s astounding accomplishments than it is about those of your children. In the latter case, bragging may be seen as slightly self-centered, whereas in the case of Rufus, he’s “only” a dog, and so perfectly acceptable.         

When bragging about the dog’s derring-do, a clear distinction needs to be made as to exactly how you mean the brag to be taken. We often brag about naughty behavior, but such tales should be told with a chuckle, outright laughter, or a look to the heavens for help. If Rufus redecorates the den with the stuffing from six cushions, it may (only in retrospect) be pretty funny, but it’s a punishable offense. Such stories are best told out of earshot of the culprit. There’s no need to let Rufus enjoy the re-telling of the fun he had.   

Bragging is a delicious aspect of owning a wonderful dog, and there’s truly nothing wrong with it.  However, don’t let it escalate to the point where the conversation becomes one-upmanship. If your bit of brag stirs up the memory of something your listener can relate to, and brag about, let him. And then let it go – at least for a couple of minutes. No one likes to have every story they tell about their own clever dog immediately topped by someone else’s tall tale.

Where does all this braggadocio lead us? It all goes right into that store of memories that we hold dear for the rest of time. So enjoy the bravado, the slightly stretched tall stories, and put them all in your memory bank for this particular dog. Every dog in your life will have its own.

The American poet, John Holmes, made the distinction quite clear when he wrote, “A dog is not ‘almost human,’ and I know of no greater insult to the canine race than to describe it as such.” Even that reads as a bit of bragging for his canine friend, doesn’t it.   

                                            

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 last year.