Talking With Dogs

Maggie With Her Treasure

Maggie With Her Treasure

So, this wasn’t really the blog post I’d planned, but this is a lot more fun on a dreary day. Enjoy!

Dogs are amazing creatures. They live by a whole different set of rules than humans do, but like people, they have different personalities and varying levels of intelligence. And some can communicate better than others.

If you don’t allow your dogs inside with you, you’re missing getting to know the nuances of their personalities and the joy that brings. Taking the time to “tune in” with your dog creates a deeper bond plus you’re rewarded with better behavior and lots of good-natured fun. We treat our dogs as individuals, which really allows their personalities to blossom.

Living with dogs is like having a houseful of 3-year olds. Forever.

And then there’s Maggie.

Maggie is more like a 5-year old. The Animal Planet says that the average trained dog’s vocabulary is about 160 words. This does not surprise me in the least.

Maggie is a doofus-maximus. Think Marmaduke. And because she’s a Rottweiler mix, her communications usually come out as demands. If I’m not clear on what she’s saying, I simply tell her she’s going to have to show me. And she does.  We even have conversations. Granted, they are brief. But it is still a series of questions and answers that take place between the two of us with an understanding of the message on both sides. (Isn’t that a conversation?)

My favorite Maggie-speak:

I’ll start with an easy one. See the picture above? Even if you’re a novice, you can tell that she is saying, “I want to come in.” (No.)

“Take that bone away from her and give it to me.” (No)

“Make her move so I can sit there.” (No)

“Give me that steak/chicken/pizza/tacos/hamburger….” (No)

“I want to sit there.” (No. That’s where I sit.)

“Help me up.” [in the car, truck, steps, etc.].  “Well, that sucked.” (If you didn’t do it properly.)

“I want to go for a ride.” She used to bring me my purse with this one. She trained me early on not to buy expensive purses.

“Give me some of that.”

I’m in the kitchen, cooking. “No, you do NOT come in here and demand something! You know you only get treats when you’re being good.” I continue my dinner preparations.

About five minutes later, I realize I’m hearing a very low whine. Maggie is laying on the rug by the back door.

“I’m being good now,” she says.

What would you say to this?!

One of her jobs over the years has been to come into the bathroom with me and lay on the rug while I was showering.

“Where’s the rug?” she asked.

“I’m washing it. I’m sorry it’s not here. I won’t be long.”

About a minute later, she sticks her head around the curtain into the shower. “Are you done yet?”

“Just a few more minutes. I’ll hurry. I promise.”

She sighs. I hear her pacing a little bit in the bathroom. (There’s no rug, remember?)

Sixty seconds later, her head comes back around the curtain again. “Are you done yet?”

This time, the sigh was mine.

My all-time favorite:

I noticed a sizable spider on the kitchen floor.

“Maggie, there’s a spider! See the spider? Kill that spider!”

Her ears perked up excitedly. She ran over to me and sniffed at the spider.

She lifted up her right paw. SPLAT! She looked up at me proudly. “Dead now!” she said.

“No, it’s not dead yet. Kill that spider!” I told her.

“What?” she frowned,  surprised. She sniffed at the still wiggling spider, then picked up her right paw again. SPLAT! She looked up at me again, proud and happy. “OK, dead now!”

Just think what I’d miss if I didn’t “tune in!” 😀

One comment on “Talking With Dogs

  1. ok so I can relate our sons girlfriend brought her one year nephew over and our three yr old lab cried the whole time my husband talked to the baby. Axle finally laid himself across my husband legs like a child would and had to have his belly rubbed until the baby left.

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