[peewee84]

I know we probably all wonder what our dogs are thinking or feeling, and if they are happy. After all, they can’t tell you if they are happy or not, if all their needs are being met or if they need something more.

When I get home from work after a long, hard day I go through the motions of my nightly routine, first of all taking them for a run on the beach then getting home and feeding them, giving them any medication/eyedrops/cleaning/brushing and then seeing to my needs such as dinner/doing the cleaning/sitting down to watch the soaps. I flop on the sofa and most nights the yorkie is trying to crawl onto my lap any way he possibly can, and the pug is pushing his ball in my face. I’m usually knackered and I often feel guilty that I’m too tired to throw the ball, or that I just need my breathing space for a moment without having the dogs all over me. Obviously they have been on their own all day probably sleeping so it’s normal that they are excited and anxious for interaction when I come home, so for this reason I push myself to play with them, and sit on the floor with them whilst watching TV rather than the sofa so they get more “interaction” and on weekends I’ll often take them walking to the forest or along a different coastline, or meet up with friends and their dogs so they have a bit of excitement and variation in their life etc. I give them chew sticks, and kongs and treats quite often.

So all this leads to my question: Is it “a dog’s life”? Eating twice a day, sleeping most of the day, walking twice a day, playing occasionally and chewing a stick? They do get lots of affection from me, but I often think are they happy and we do enough to stimulate them? After all, they can’t watch TV like we can, educate themselves like we do, socialise like we do, consume and shop and eat like we do and we have the distraction of work etc etc

I wonder what goes on in their little heads?

[vwkittie]

Sounds like a dog's life to me!

As to what goes on in my dog's head, not an awful lot! I think she's happy so long as she's warm and comfy with a full tummy, but then she's a dog who sleeps about 80% of the time

I know what you mean though I always feel guilty if we've had to leave the dog for any length of time in the day (like today my OH has had to go away to York so I'm not counting down the seconds til 4pm when I can shoot back home as fast as possible!), and will make myself spend extra time playing with her and walking her tonight even if I don't feel like it much... can't wait til the weekend when we can do some big exciting walks

[joyh]

I have worked very part-time for 4years,oh ok I'm semi-retired! And initially was very surprised at just how much they sleep,I have 7.Basically yes,food,water a descent walk and they're fine.If I'm happy they're happy and if they're happy I'm happy.Sorted eh

[Strix]

Brude tells me what's going on in his little head
Maybe it's just because we know each other so well after the ten years we've had him, that I know all his expressions, or maybe I've always listened with my eyes

We have gone to some effort to accommodate his breed instincts alongside the basic needs. When we finally say goodnight to him, I'll be able to console myself with the fact that he's had more and wider experiences than the majority of beagles I've ever come across - even taking him to walk out with a working pack, and to watch them on a working day (with pub food administered under the table by the hunt staff afterwards, whilst the pack was tucked up asleep in the hound van )

I don't know any other dog who knows the word 'mountains' - but that's the kind of relationship we have

[peewee84]

It's true they do sleep a lot don't they!! I notice that on my days off I'm like "Come on boys, we're going for a Trek!" and they struggle to lift their heads up from the nest of cushions they've made on the sofa! I know they're not made up like us and with food, water, exercise and a warm bed with some cuddles thrown in they're fine but I can't help think they must get bored as when they're not walking, and even if I'm in the house, all they can do is sleep albeit next to me on the sofa

And I agree with the breed thing, but see I've got a yorkie so weren't they used for ratting etc? I'm not about to let him go out and kill rats haha! And a pug. I'm sure they were bred for no other purpose than to look pretty!

I'd love to try the yorkie with agility as he's like a little rabbit and loves to run, but I've never known toy breeds do this?

[vwkittie]

Half the time when you get our dogs collar and out say 'come on then!', she jumps on the sofa and lays down

[Strix]

Brude's just informed me that he's not, under any circumstances, getting off the bed. You'd think he'd have learned by now!

He only does this when he's sick or in pain. Having calmed him down, he's licked his foot. He'll let me look at part of it, but he's curling his lip if I get to a certain spot

I'll let the pain killers take effect before investigating further - on pain of losing my fingers!

[H_Hounds]

There really is not a lot that goes on in my one year old great dane, Bella. If you stare any dog out they feel threatened and vice versa. But when we watch telly I get that feeling that someone is staring at me. I look down and Bella has woken up and is staring me out and is deadly still. She is in a trance. She will do this for a good five minutes then grunt back to sleep. When she comes over for a fuss, she goes into a trance while you stroke her and doesn't realised you've stopped for a minute then throws your hand back on her head with her nose. She really is as sim as I make her sound.

Her mum on the other hand follows me round and talks to my husband. She gets really mucky ears and when they're ready for cleaning she goes to the cupboard where the ear wipes are and shakes her head until I open it. She once tricked us for some potato skins too. We were very ashamed that a dog out smarted us but equally amused.

[joyh]

Peewee84 your Yorkie could do Agilitity on a small height ( micro ), my little Dachshund x Jack Russell does it and she measures about 7 ins.J

[Strix]

any ratting breed usually enjoys lure chasing

It's not like I let Brude go killing hares!

[peewee84]

Originally Posted by H_Hounds

There really is not a lot that goes on in my one year old great dane, Bella. If you stare any dog out they feel threatened and vice versa. But when we watch telly I get that feeling that someone is staring at me. I look down and Bella has woken up and is staring me out and is deadly still. She is in a trance. She will do this for a good five minutes then grunt back to sleep. When she comes over for a fuss, she goes into a trance while you stroke her and doesn't realised you've stopped for a minute then throws your hand back on her head with her nose. She really is as sim as I make her sound.

Her mum on the other hand follows me round and talks to my husband. She gets really mucky ears and when they're ready for cleaning she goes to the cupboard where the ear wipes are and shakes her head until I open it. She once tricked us for some potato skins too. We were very ashamed that a dog out smarted us but equally amused.

See! I think they are a lot smarter than we believe them to be! At the end of the day, we can only theorise on what goes on in a dogs head but I'm convinced that they think and feel alot more than we believe they do..

Originally Posted by joyh

Peewee84 your Yorkie could do Agilitity on a small height ( micro ), my little Dachshund x Jack Russell does it and she measures about 7 ins.J

Does she like it? And does she listen? I can't imagine Moses following me anywhere! Haha

Originally Posted by Strix

any ratting breed usually enjoys lure chasing

It's not like I let Brude go killing hares!

Sorry to sound stupid but what's lure chasing?! No I'm sure haha, but I suppose taking him to run with a working pack almost simulates that he's going "hunting" is that right?

[L00b]

Originally Posted by peewee84

At the end of the day, we can only theorise on what goes on in a dogs head but I'm convinced that they think and feel alot more than we believe they do.

+1

Originally Posted by peewee84

I notice that on my days off I'm like "Come on boys, we're going for a Trek!" and they struggle to lift their heads up from the nest of cushions they've made on the sofa

You just form the words (no sound) 'walkies' with your lips, and ours instantly goes in "going walkies mode": over-excited, 3ft jumps from standing, constantly in and through our legs/feet while we try and put wellies on! And it's not as if we don't exercise him enough: 4 walks a day, with the big lunchtime one (3 to 4 miles) with free rein to go dig rabbits, chase squirrels and birds, run in river, roll in mud chasing puddle sharks...

He knows "walkies times" nearly to the minute, comes and nudges me off my desk or the settee every evening between 20:25 and 20:35!

Originally Posted by H_Hounds

If you stare any dog out they feel threatened and vice versa.

We try to avoid it, but when we involuntarily do so, ours just stares back, and eventually gives us a great big lick after a minute or so?

Originally Posted by peewee84

they can’t watch TV like we can

Originally Posted by H_Hounds

But when we watch telly I get that feeling that someone is staring at me. I look down and Bella has woken up and is staring me out and is deadly still. She is in a trance. She will do this for a good five minutes then grunt back to sleep.

We have to be careful what we watch at times, as ours can definitely recognise (and hear) what's on-screen. That's not a subjective opinion at all: he doesn't pay any attention to the TV, but if something 'interesting' comes on-screen and he's looking that way, and/or there is a corresponding sound effect (animal sound), his focus is definitely on the screen, I can tell very clearly from stance, ear pose and eye focus. Positively NO cats or squirrels allowed on-screen (as he does go for these on the screen) and the reaction to big african cats is...erm...interesting (watches and 'shudders' with low growl)

Originally Posted by H_Hounds

We were very ashamed that a dog out smarted us but equally amused.

Patterdales are renowned for being so smart, they could fill in your tax returns. I believe that!

[vwkittie]

Originally Posted by peewee84

Sorry to sound stupid but what's lure chasing?! No I'm sure haha, but I suppose taking him to run with a working pack almost simulates that he's going "hunting" is that right?

It's where one or more dogs chases after an object that's tied to a string, the string is on a pulley so whips the object away and they have to run after it.

When I was in Ireland last summer, they had a terrier racing event where all the terriers chased after a lure (it was a small fluffy leprechaun!). It was sooo funny, some of the dogs were really into it but others not so much! One person had brought their staffy to race and it ran part way after the lure then got bored and wandered into the crowd to find someone to scratch its belly!

[Strix]

Originally Posted by peewee84

Sorry to sound stupid but what's lure chasing?! No I'm sure haha, but I suppose taking him to run with a working pack almost simulates that he's going "hunting" is that right?

He can't 'run with' a working pack for insurance reasons - he's walked out with them, and observed them carrying out the modern replication of hunting

Lure chasing is where they tie a scented piece of rag or something to a line which is winched rapidly down a set course. You'll find it on youtube... or google 'beagle racing, falkirk'