Or……………..
How To Talk In Code And Still Be Understood
The Dogs are getting clever. No, really!
Whenever we are getting ready to take the Bone Munchers for a walk we do the usual daft Doggie talk to the Girls:
“Do you want to go for a walk? Do you? Do you? Where do you want to go? Eh? Eh?” blah, blah, blah.
You know what I mean. Well, in order to keep things a bit calmer, and not have them jumping up and down like the lunatics they are, and to safely put on a coat without them trying to lick our face, whilst at the same time trying to learn how to open the front door by the power of their simple Doggie minds, we decided to change tack.
Instead, we had begun to just say to each other:
“Shall we take them for a double you?”
This was under the impression that they neither knew what a W was or that it was the first letter of their favourite word.
Well, it didn’t last long. Within a few days everyone has learnt that a “W” is indeed the same as a “walk”. So now we are on to secret sign language that Dogs can’t understand.
Sorry, but I can’t tell you what it is. Top secret and all that, don’t you know. Besides word might get back to them somehow and then I will be faced with using words that simply don’t make sense, and I don’t want to end up saying to Mrs. Three Dog Blogger:
“Shall we take the Dogs for Cheese”
Or some other random and nonsensical string of words.
If you want to share your secret codes that cannot be infiltrated by Doggie minds feel free.
Just don’t blame me if word gets back to them!
May the Doggie Force be with you all.
For us it has become a lost cause. There aren’t enough sounds in the language for us to switch to that the Poodles won’t get the second time we use it. Same for gestures. One time, maybe two and they have made the association.
jan’s last blog post..When the Saints go marching in…
The code word for the Duck Toller is “sphere” instead of ball.
Because if you say “ball”, it activates the Launch Sequence.
So does “Walk”, “Play”, “Out”, “Find it”, “Whaaaat?”, and “Yum! yum! yum!!”.
Friar’s last blog post..Uncle Friar’s Tips on Dog-Sitting a Duck Toller
Dogs are really smart. Otto looks at shoes. When he sees me pull on my rubber shoes he knows he’s going for a walkie and he goes crazy.
Sometimes we feel like we’re in one of the Harry Potter movies when we start talking and say “What do you think of taking them for that we dare not to say?” (in the flick it goes He Whose Name We Dare Not Speak). Pretty soon we’ll just start texting (or Twittering!) back and forth our thoughts to keep everything undercover…
Karina A.’s last blog post..Animal Welfare: Home vs Abroad
Jan, ah the Poodles. They are supposed to be one of the most intelligent Dogs, maybe that is why they catch on so quickly.
Friar, “The Launch sequence”, I like it 🙂
Kaytee, ours are the same. If one of us goes upstairs they are expecting you to come down with a coat which means “Walkies”!
Karina A, hey, good idea! Twitter when it’s Dog walk time. Could be on to something there!
hahahahahahahaha That is so funny. We still use W and it seems to have gone over their heads for several years. We try not to ever use the “walk” word because they start whining, crying, and howling.
The number one clue they have though is when we reach for their leashes. All hell breaks loose. =)
Megscole64, oh yeah. The leash is a total giveaway. No hiding that one with secret code words!
Never mind ours tells the time at 9:50 pm he starts to make noises. If someone isn’t at the front door coat & shoes on leash in hand by 10:10 he will get up in your lap — he’s 110 lb lab — verrrry cosy
This is cracking me up we started using “W” too and he picked up on that, the hand signal my honey created involved him picking up the leash and pointing so that didn’t really work. Now were at the point where even when you say the words “DO YOU” my dog’s ears perk up like he just knows something is going to happen and he is ready for it. Dogs are smart 🙂
Aimee, they are indeed. Ours are getting like yours, any word we try to use they pick up on in a few days! SHALL WE is not even working now!
You know, I watched a program about dogs and they can read our facial expressions… they are very clever and we will always telegraph to them what we want even if we don’t know it.