How Do You Greet Your Doodle?

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Recently, Jane (Jane, Guinness & Murphy) wrote a discussion about "Our Energy."  She talked about how her DH would get her dogs so excited before taking them for a walk that they did not listen. All through her discussion, I was thinking about when I return home and saying to myself, "I do that...yep, that too...uh oh, I do that." My husband has long said that I contribute to the "excitement" level in our house.  Several times he has said that he thinks loud noises are contributing to the dog's energy levels.  The last time he said it, I had to stop singing long enough to ask him what were the loud noises he kept mentioning and all he said was, "I wonder."  Now, I have read tons of dog training books and I know what I am not supposed to be doing, but I just can't help myself.

 

We are homebodies, my DH and I, and most of the time when I travel, I start wishing I had Dorothy's red shoes that I could click together and get back home faster. One of the first things you see when you walk in my house is a large sign that reads It is good to be home.  My dogs are a big part of this feeling and here is the way I see it. My DH and I are in our 50's. Fudge and Vern might be the last dogs we have....our kids are grown and I don't have to set any examples. When I walk through the door, I am happy to see my dogs and I guess sometimes I do sing loudly or dance a bit, but Fudge and Vern are really the only audience I have that appreciates my dance moves and my renditions of Play that Funky Music White Dog or Sugar, Sugar, Fudgie Wudgie.

 

Truthfully, is there anyone else in your life that greets you as warmly as your dog does? When you come home, how do you greet your dog??

 

Waiting and Watching for Visitors:

 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Coming home is just plain crazy in my house.   It  has gotten to the point where I really do appreciate those who have taught their dogs to sit, then greet.  It just does not happen here.  Being in our 50's also, my world, and the dogs world revolves around each other.   YIPPIE! Dance!  Throw the ball!   And Starlit, well she is the one who sings when I walk in the door.  She starts that singing and her butt gets the momentum going, wiggle wiggle wooo wooo!   We all dance.  Thanks.  I'm glad to say I might just be normal, or maybe just like someone else I know who loves to come home, and home to her dogs.

 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

............... oh and this is just when I went out to get something out of my car and was gone for 2 minutes.  After being gone all day it is a festival!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Joanne, I don't know who will agree with us, but I think we are both normal :) But, like my DD always says, "If you are the only one who thinks it, is it still true?" Oh, what does she know...she has French Bulldogs...LOL!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

By the time I got Jackdoodle, I already knew that making any kind of a big deal about leaving or returning can contribute to separation anxiety as well as too much excitement. (And really, anxiety is a kind of excitement. An anxious state certainly isn't a calm state.)  Because it really killed me to have to leave him all alone when I left for work, I forced myself to be very nonchalant about leaving for his sake, so he wouldn't think there was anything to be upset about. When I come in, I'm also very nonchalant. I just say "Hi Jack" very calmly, as if I'd seen him a minute before, take off my coat and then sit down without having touched him. Once I'm sitting, he comes over for pets and hugs.  

I swear this is one of the reasons he never jumps up on anyone. But for me, it wasn't really about trying not to get a dog keyed up. It was for his sake, so he wouldn't look upon normal comings and goings as any big deal.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I had a dog with separation anxiety and I greeted her almost exactly as you do Jack. We were told the same thing. Thankfully, Fudge and Vern do not have separation anxiety and I don't even crate them any longer when we leave.  I count this as a major blessing. When I leave, I too just walk out the door....well, they do get some peanut butter to ease their pain....LOL. My DH will confirm that Fudge and Vern are far better behaved than I am upon my return :)

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Laurie, I am laughing to myself picturing you dancing and singing when you come in and Fudge and Vern just sitting there calmly staring at you like " what is it with this lady Vern? Why is she so excited? She just left us? Geeeezzz,  Fudge, she needs a life!!"

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

LOL. Thanks for my laugh. This reminds me of my kids when they were little. I am a yeller. My DH seldom yells and one time he did and it really upset my girls. I said, "I yell all the time and it never bothers you," and they replied that I never yell. I later told my DH that they think it is just my normal speaking voice :) Fudge and Vern hear me sing all the time in the car, so I guess this is no big deal for them either. They are probably thinking this woman is nuts.

[Adina P]

Boca's is crated when we're gone and lately Rosco has been confined to the same room she's in with a baby gate because he's taken up counter-surfing in the past year.  If it's not within an hour or so of their next meal, Rosco is a nice greeter.  If it's within the hour, he couldn't care less about me and barks and bounces and runs to his dish waiting for food.  Boca just whirls around like she's lost her marbles if she's hungry.  So it's rarely about me. 

 

If it's not close to meal time my greeting consists of sending them out for a potty before letting them back in.  Boca is leaping and then tries her best to contain herself as I make her wait before rushing out the back door.  I barely even say hello until after they've been fed or they've gone out to play/relieve themselves.  I don't feel 'warmth' as much as out-of-control excitement most of the time. LOL--just whirling dervishes.

 

I wish I could train them to greet me like Natalie does: with a HUGE smile, and "Hii Mommy!" and no zooming =)  I am NOT a high energy person and prefer more mellow warmth...anything else just overwhelms me. 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

You have THREE good reasons to come home everyday :) Natalie sounds like a perfect greeter!!!

[Kyoko]

Coming home routine has changed a bit for us. It used to be that, I will go staright to Charlie's crate saying stuff like " HI!! CHARLIE!! WERE YOU A GOOD GIRL? YES?" with happy excited tone and let her out of the crate, share some excitement of jumping and petting, etc.. and see about Butter. Then we went out for potty. I guess I felt bad that she was crated all day or at least half of the day while Butter has free roam of the house. So, she would be so impatient in the crate and get so excited already for me to let her out!!  Well, Butter is now super old (16 &1/2), and bring about health and well being concerns each day, eventhough nothing major is happening. So, I now go staright to him and softly ask " Hi, Sir, How was your day?" and, suprisingly, Charlie stays down in her crate and quietly wait for me to open the door, and give her a cue to come out. Big difference in our routine. I guess my calmness helps a lot...

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Charlie is sweet to let Butter go first :)

[Kyoko]

I think she knows that he is really old and getting weaker. Sometimes she just watches him sleeping, and go lick his face.