There are things that dogs do that we would not appreciate if humans did the same thing. We laugh or at least fondly tolerate a dog’s behaviors. If a human imitated those behaviors, laughter would not be our first response.
For example, when I pet my dog and stop, she gently paws at me to continue. She will do this over and over if I stop. Most of the time I just laugh and appreciate how much she loves me. If a human did that, I would give them the evil eye and move away. Or when I head to the bathroom, one dog will run right after me and want to sit beside me – sitting. Sometimes I lead him outside the bathroom door, where he will sit and wait patiently until I come out. I can’t imagine smiling happily if a human did the same thing.
When I am eating a snack on the sofa, my dog will sit beside me, staring from my eyes to my snack. He won’t give up until the last morsel is gone from my plate, even if he has just finished a large bowl of his favorite food. I might shake my head at him, but it is just a dog being a dog. If a human sat staring at my food, I would probably do more than shake my head.
In the morning, one dog will make noise outside of my bedroom door to let me know it is time to get up. Sometimes it is a soft bark or a cough, but it is persistent until I finally emerge from my bedroom. When I see their little tails furiously wagging, I feel so lucky to have such sweet and caring dogs. If a human did the same thing, my first words would be “go away.”
I am not sure why I accept those behaviors from my dogs and not my humans. Is it because they are so innocent or because they can’t talk back?
Maybe I need to be more tolerant of my humans.
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