“Dogs do learn, they are able to “map on the fly”, but to reach and develop these abilities, we as humans must develop a better understanding of the dog’s world from his point of view. Dogs DO NOT speak our language, they do not become frustrated, they do not get angry, and they do not hold a grudge! They remember yesterday, but live in the moment.”
Welcome to our world! My name is Hummer. I am an English Bulldog. The above quote sums up a dog in a few short words (your communication method, NOT ours) and it would serve human kind well to get a handle on what makes us tick. We do not need to become everything our owners do not want, but we are after all just dogs! There are things that were noticed during my life and in the lives of my dog friends that point out this belief and by sharing my story with you I can perhaps assist you the dog owner with reaching a more appreciable level of interaction whether your dog is a beloved pet and companion or a cherished show and event dog(s).
I was both beloved pet and Champion Show dog and feel that the experiences in my life were an important example for many other dogs and their owners. I wish to share this story with you as examples of how important the dog owners ability to be flexible in teaching me, the dog, what you want and what you mean with your words that I did not understand.
Remember that I am using YOUR language to convey my experiences. So to the beginning…
The Whelping Box
I was born with 8 brothers and sisters. I was far from the largest, as a matter of fact I was one of the smaller puppies. Justin was the biggest and well I remember his smell, and Bongo’s and Rhoda’s, and Maxi’s and Benson’s and Koko’s and Beth’s. If any of them came to the milk bar that I had found, I could smell them coming-I could feel their presence and I knew that they would shove me off! That left only Dee Dee and Seph that I could go and push off their milk bars. Now with only 8 milk bars open for business, it generally meant that if you found an open one, it was drained and already emptied by the more bossy pups (not necessarily the bigger pups). And usually it was Justin that emptied more than anyone else.
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