My dog the genius

So it seems that my dog, in her spare time, has been doing some Pavlovian research and might even be conducting an experiment. I can almost picture her in a white lab coat and glasses concocting this plan.

It also seems like this plan was hatched a very long time ago and has come full circle recently. Quite a frickin genius my little schnauzer is.

Ya see, when she was much younger (she's 3 now), she was crated each night. Never made a peep in there. Loved it, as most dogs do. When she did make a peep, a whimper, mini bark or scratch, I knew something was wrong and I lept outta bed and ran outside with her. 9.9/10, some form of explosive defecation followed suit.

Lola at 4 months. Oy.

She didn't (I thought then) realize that all she had to do to get me to let her out of the crate was squeak a bit. She never took advantage of it and only used her 'voice' in times of emergency.

But now I realize that this was all part of her master plan.

Always watching me...

Cut to 2 years later. Lola sometimes sleeps in our bed, sometimes in her bed, in our room with the door closed. In the last few months, I have been awoken almost every morning around 8 am to her scratching at the door. So naturally, I jump out of bed and run with her to let her out into the backyard.

If it's a scratch waaaaaay before 8am, I know her tummy must be upset. But more often than not, the scratching has been coming between 8-9am. (For all you judgers out there- my work schedule is irregular so that's why 8-9am is early for me!)

So I find myself, morning after morning, getting out of bed to let her into the backyard.

Who's in control here?
Who's the master?

When did both those answers become Lola?

Well, she's done it ladies and gentlemen. She has classically conditioned me to respond to her scratching at the door. She scratches, I jump. Textbook.

Genius.



(Footnote- this entry was written prior to daylight savings so now Lola is scratching at the door at 7am. Cool.)