Wandering. Indoors.

Today I would like to talk with all my canine friends about a “new” technique that I have been trying out with my human.  With relatively good success.  I haven’t run any REAL research on this technique – so what I am about to report is based on a limited case study.  Me being the case.  The new technique is called “indoor wandering.”  The objective?  To GET attention.  And a secondary objective- to drive humans crazy.

If you look back to one of my earliest blogs, you will see I talk about another technique – the Stare Down.  We canines employ this when humans are sleeping – to wake them up- or while they are doing something like eating – to get their attention and to get some food.  While they are sleeping, we sit VERY close and STARE – so they wake up.  Heavy breathing during this time is also helpful. Or we watch them while they are eating, on the off chance that they will drop something – or they will give us a bite when they are done.  This is a proven technique – and it works very well.

The new technique – indoor wandering – is PERFECT when a human is doing something like talking on the phone – or working on the computer.  It must be done casually with an innocent air.  And it’s easy. AND good exercise.  You just wander.  From room to room.  And around the room where your human is doing something else.  And you must look as if  you are looking for something.  OR you need to go out to pee or poo.  The result?  In my experience, my human will stop what she is doing – and take me out.  Even though – I don’t REALLY need to go out.  If you add a TINY squeak, it makes the technique even MORE effective.

I was actually becoming an expert at this technique – so much that when I came upstairs after a wander – she went down to see if I had done anything bad.  The only warning – DO NOT do this immediately after you have come in from a walk.  It will quickly tip off your human that you are faking – and that you do NOT need to go out. THAT was my one error.  Now I think she may be on to me.  But humans have short memories – so I will try it again.  

Yesterday, my human’s university was closed so she had a holiday.  We were THRILLED that she was home with us – the only bad thing was that it was raining – so our play time had to be indoors.  We had several rounds of Find the Bunny – and the only problem was that my human let Paxton play first – while Frodo and I were sequestered in the hall watching and screaming out of control.  The bad thing about playing AFTER Paxton is that the bunny is all soggy.  Since I have been enrolled in my scent class, my human hides the bunny in very difficult places for ME to find.  And my accuracy rate is 100%.  My biggest issue is giving UP the bunny – even though he IS soggy.  If I have to work extra hard to find him, I want to keep him.  And tear his head off. Which is not exactly the objective of the game.

Well. It’s about time to wake my human up – no sleeping in on the weekend in THIS house!  Have a great Saturday!

© Linda Wozniak