Every morning, I walk the dogs, leaving the hubs to watch the morning news. Today, however, Hubs had a doctor's appointment, and as it happens we left the house at the same time. We walked down the driveway with hubs slightly behind. He peels off to get into his car, and the dogs stop dead and stare over their shoulders at him. "He's not coming?" I tell them no, he's not coming. We take three more steps, and the car door slams. Again the dogs stop. "Wait. He's going in the CAR?" I tell them he's not coming. Four more steps, and their little doggie heads whip around as he drives off. "He's really not coming?!! And he's in the CAR!?" I tell them to get over at and off we go. LOL! Seriously, I think they were crushed that he wasn't coming on the walk, even though he never does.
What a great story, @Carol Knott ! Dogs are such awesome little furry people, aren’t they ? Our Chipper seems to understand most of what we are saying, too, and you can just see on his little face when something has puzzled him. Every night, Bobby will alert me about a half hour before bedtime, so that i remember to take my nighttime heart meds. Invariably, no matter how he says it, Chipper knows that it is bedtime soon, wakes up and starts barking and jumping around. Mind you, this is a 15 year old Yorkipoo who is blind and can barely hear, and stumbles into things when he walks ; but at bedtime, the dogs each get a treat, and Chipper loves his little half-hotdog that he gets after his last trip outdoors to go potty. No matter that bedtime is still a half hour away, the word has been spoken, and now he wants go go outside so that he can come back in and have the hotdog. Then, he goes back to sleep, and could care less when we actually go to bed.
Sometimes I think I know what my Sari is thinking and sometimes I don't. Why is she having a mind of her own on a particular morning and doesn't want to go on a walk in the usual direction? On the next day she'll be enjoying it, jumping up on me. Guess it must be certain smells putting her off. As we know, a dog keeps watching us all the time. From what I'm doing, what clothes I'm putting on, which bag I'm grabbing, Sari can guess almost immediately what's gonna happen. Either she's getting excited, starts jumping, squealing and waggling her tail or, if she doesn't like what she is seeing, I'll get the respective reaction. Carol, even if your Hubs never joins you when you walk the dogs, as you know, dogs are pack animals and as such will never give up hope that they can go on a walk as a pack. So why not on that morning? Hope dies last. That's how I read their behavior.
It's true that they think as a pack. They want us all to be in the same room, for sure, and it bother them if we are not all together. Sorry to disappoint you, dogs, but sometimes I have to be in a different room!
Yep for sure the dogs always want to be in the same place with the pack leader.. My daughter has 7 dogs, all different breeds ( including 3 labradoodles).. some are besties with each other, some aren't the greatest of friends sometimes, but for sure when the pack leader my daughter, is around they all behave nicely to be together with her... They've learned that if one misbehaves they're removed from the room, or kennel... They are all the same with me when i go and visit, they love to be with me, and one of the doodles will forego his breakfast ( his very fave meal of the day).. just so he can sit by my door and wait for me to get up...then he'll happily eat ..then all the doodles stay by my side wherever I go...