KISSINGER’S GUIDE TO BEING A DOG 1

I’m soft, cuddly and cute and I live with the Vermont’s in Sunset Cove. I’ve been a dog all my life – here’s my guide to being a dog.

What it means to be a dog

Dog’s are man’s best friend. And why not? We are always dedicated to our owners and are happy to run around doing doggy things for them like fetching the newspaper or even the smelly slippers. We are pack animals and all we want is companionship and a loving home.

Doggy past times

Sniffing – There’s nothing quite like a smell. It wafts through the air and teases your nostrils. It sends signals to the brain that excite you and you just have to keep sniffing until you’ve satisfied the urge. Trees, lamposts, gates, fire hydrants are all good places for smells. These smells are often left by other dogs and are especially interesting. Smelling humans in certain places is not advised as it can make them very uncomfortable.

Digging – Sometimes we dig because we know we’ve hidden a bone and other times we dig just because we feel like it! We especially like to dig when we’ve been fenced in – there’s only one way out and that’s down and out! Make sure you dig up your owners garden once every now and again – it reminds them that you’re bored and they’ll buy you new toys.

Playing Fetch – How cool is this game? Most dogs love to play fetch especially if they’ve been trained properly to do it. Dogs always love a chase and a challenge and it’s part of our animal behaviour to chase food and bring it back to our family. What’s really funny is when we run off with the stick and our owners chase us all over the park – it’s classic!

Swimming – A nice hot day and your human takes you down to the beach or the river – bliss! You jump in and get totally sodden and then you run back to your human and give a good shake soaking them in the process. They love it, really!

Begging – You must have heard of the term puppy dog eyes – we dogs made it famous. We can put on the saddest little face when we want something and it’s extremely hard to refuse for any human. When we can smell that freshly pan fried steak on your plate how do you expect us to eat dog food? Begging is the best way to get a little of what we really want.

Marking Territory

Dogs are very territorial and there’s just nothing that can be done about it – it’s in our DNA.

The slightest smell of another dog in our territory and we have to mark it with our own smell. This called “leg lifting” and it’s very common practice among all dogs.

A warning to leg lifting dogs – never leg lift on an electric fence and never leg lift on your owner. You’ll regret it.