Doggone Etiquette —

The Right Age

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:           

No matter how old you are, there are a number of things you will learn, and then have to unlearn, and then have to relearn. It could be because the lives of the people you live with change and you have to be on your toes to keep up with them. Or, it could be the ways in which your own life changes over the years. Maybe you were a happy puppy sent to the “wrong” home, left to live on the streets and ended up in jail. Or maybe that’s just how you look at it now that you are in the “right” home.   

So, if you’re a bouncing puppy, a golden oldie, or somewhere in between, be sure to keep your eyes and ears open in order to learn something new. Forgetting comes easily to most of you dogs.

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:            

There are plenty of times when we dog owners should be utterly amazed that our faithful companions manage to cope with living in our complex world. We crouch down to greet a small dog on his level, but we won’t let him to jump up to ours. We may occasionally lift the paws of a huge dog onto our shoulders for a face-to-face encounter, but we don’t want him initiating it. Even if Rufus is medium-sized, he could knock you over with that one!

We teach a puppy to stay off the furniture – or at least we try to enforce the rule. Then, Rufus ages and we become more lenient about letting him snooze on the sofa or bed, possibly even buying him a doggy ladder to make it easier for him to get up and down. Some days family members go off to work or school and on other days they stay home. Every now and then they’re home for a lot of days. In general, dogs get used to a set pattern of family life, but there must be many times when we cause them to wonder what’s up. A pity there’s no easy way to explain it to them!

Not too many people will be on a vacation in the next couple of months, but you may be planning for a nice long one this summer, so include Rufus in your plans regardless of his age. If he will be left behind for the first time, decide which boarding kennel you will use and take him there for a 24- or 48-hour introductory visit. Separation anxiety may be the least of his problems, but this way the sounds, smells, and the people will then be somewhat familiar to him when you drop him off for an extended stay. He will also be more confident that you will return. A dog of any age that originally came from a shelter could understandably panic or hit the doldrums when dropped off at a strange kennel for a long stay.

Age also has a great deal to do with a dog’s reaction to almost everything in our lives – whether we move from one house to another, or a new baby arrives, or the kids he grew up with go off to college, or retirement means more adult companionship – the dog is expected to take it in stride. A puppy is usually flexible. A middle-aged dog will need your tolerant understanding, and an older dog will no doubt come up with the more human “here we go again” approach and accept it all.

Next week we add a day to our year by having 29 days instead of the usual 28 in February. This raises an interesting question in dogs. If a puppy is born on that “extra” day (which occurs every four years) will he have to wait until it rolls around in 2016 to celebrate his first birthday? In people, it differs legally throughout the world. In the UK and Hong Kong a person legally moves the birth date to March 1, while in China and New Zealand it reverts to Feb. 28. Lots of dog owners have no idea when their dogs were born so it’s up to the owner to decide how, when and where a birthday is celebrated!

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.