Do Dogs Think?

I often wonder how dogs think.  Do they think "I took two naps now my people should be home"?  Do they watch what their people do and think "those crazy people....where are they always running to"?  A dear friend who is also a respected local dog trainer says that dogs think but not that deeply.  Her position is "dogs are problem solvers".  I can't argue with that - as demonstrated by Thumper in the following tale:

Sunday, as I was leaving to go work on the new house (will it EVER get finished?), I gave each dog a chew bone.  They ran in opposite directions and sat with their bones.  You would think they don't trust each other....lol.  When I got home later, Lightning had chewed on his, but it still looked new.  Thumper's was a nub. 

I went into the bathroom to run my bathwater, and my two shadows followed me. Thumper took his position on the foot of the bed (his bone was now gone).  Lightning sat on the floor and chewed contentedly on his bone.  Suddenly, Thumper barked. Very loudly. Lightning, who obviously believed he had missed something while chewing on his bone, dropped the bone and scampered out of the room.  Immediately Thumper hopped off the bed, grabbed the bone, and jumped back to his spot.  Thumper's problem-solving process would have been like this....

Problem:  I don't have a bone but there is a bone in this room.

Research:  Lightning has a bone.  Lightning always runs to the door when I bark.  

Solution:  Bark and take Lightnings bone when he drops it and leaves the room.    If it's in my mouth, it's mine, after all. 

Very similar to the scientific method, isn't it?  (Yes, I'm a science nerd....). Next post I'll share how Lightning has figured out to cope with his thieving buddy.  

So long post tonight.  If you stuck with it til the end - thanks!  Do you ever think about stuff like this - do you wonder if your dog is a philosopher like I do?

It's mine!

We are headed out of town this weekend, and I just dropped the dogs off for boarding.  It's a really neat place - vet office on one side, kennel on the other.  Halloween decorations, including a dancing broom, in the lobby.  That broom will never be the same again - after checking them in, I turned around and saw Thumper lifting his leg by that broom.  Now it's his broom.  Definitely the embarrassing pet moment of the day for me....Mr. Personality just trotted back over like nobody saw him.  ***sigh*** 

K-9 Kamp - Are you trying it?

I've been seriously unmotivated lately.  Blogging, housekeeping, gardening, exercising.  Pretty much in any way you can imagine.

A few years ago, exercising was a big part of my routine.  A few times a week I'd go to the gym and do a weight training circuit class and some cardio.  Plus, I was usually in constant motion at home and work, chasing kids and keeping up my flower beds at home and running up and down stairs in the plant at work.  Fast forward to now.  I go to work.  I sit.  I drive home (sitting of course, and usually yawning).  I get home.  I sit.  I just DON'T want to get up and do a thing.  It's depressing.  Where my legs used to have muscles, now, well, they don't.  Neither do my arms.  And let's not even go to the abs.  Let's just say it's gotten so bad that even the hubby (who is no fitness fiend himself) has suggested I get laser lipo. 

I heard about K-9 Kamp on a blog hop last week.  I'm trying to participate in it - the goal for this week was to exercise 30 minutes MORE with your dog 3 or 4 times a week.  I did it.  :)   The dogs and I went for a walk three times this week.  Tiny step, but a tiny step in the right direction. 

Have you heard about K-9 Kamp?  You can learn more at Kol's Notes.  Maybe next I'll even do some sit ups. 

We're Not Lost

Hi freinds.  Did you forget about us?  Mom did.  That's why she hasn't written about us in so long.  She forgets to take us on walks too.  We are lucky she remembers to feed us.  Anyhow, we are goign to fix that today and write about us.

This is THumper.  I've been getting lots of rest.  For some reason I don't know why, I still have to go in my little room when the people are gone.  It's boring.  I'm a good dog.  Don't knwo why I have to stay in there.  I nap there on my dog bed.  Sometimes I chew holes in it.  Mom did leave me out of the crate sometimes lately.  I broke into the pantry and stole the milkbones that time.  Another time I got in there and got all LIghtning's little chewy things.  Boy those were good.  I've been keepign the Mom company too.  She likes it when I crawl in her lap while she's on the computer so I make sure to do that every night.  I chase squireels and lizards too.  I found a new place where the lizards hide.  My favorite thing is to go there and look for them.  I make lots of noise too.

This si LIghtning.  Life is boring.  I watch thumper getting lots of rest.  I dont' want him to feel bad so I lay by his crate.  Then I wait until mom has left and I go sleep on the couoch.  But she doesn't knwo this so don't tell her!  I've had to start chewing on Thumper's big chew bones because some thief took my little ones.  Some body also left the box of milkbones open one day and I helped myself to one.  Mom caught me and taped the box shut.  No more milk bones now.  I run and hide inside alot too.  Sometimes garbage bags scare me.  Sometimes my boy's baseball glove scares me.  Sometimes I take a big bone and hide with it.  I've been practicing my sniffing skills and can tell my people now when they are sick.  They call me Dr Lightning when I do that.  Take that Thumepr!  I'm a doctor!!

 
And if you forgot what we look like, here is a picture.  Don't let the glowy eyes scare you.  we had to take our own pciture too and had trouble setting the red eye thing since we dont' have thumbs.

Your freinds,
Thumper and Lightning