Not all prompts will be suitable for all dog-human relationships. For example, some dogs may not feel safe playing, or they might have health issues limiting play. In addition, your surroundings need to be considered—play may not be safe on all surfaces (e.g., slippery surfaces, around other dogs who may get over-excited, etc.). Older dogs, dogs with health issues, and dogs who are uncomfortable with human touch or play may not enjoy some of these prompts. It is up to the participants to use their knowledge and understanding of their dogs to ensure safety.
Before beginning, please review these two websites, which outline common behaviours and expressions that dogs’ use when nervous and/or fearful:
https://ontariospca.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Canine-ladder-of-aggression.pdf
https://vcacanada.com/know-your-pet/signs-your-dog-is-stressed-and-how-to-relieve-it
If, at any point during the study, you or your dog are not enjoying the proposition, please do not continue.
[July 22nd to October 13th]
Think about a time when both you and your dog experienced joy. What smell might you associate with this memory?
Collaboration request: Send in the name and/or description of the smell that you associate with the memory.
Collaboration Request Week Three
My primary thought is when cooking a steak for my pup Barley’s birthday dinner (or anytime I am making a steak). She waits so nicely outside the kitchen with an eager expression until I pull the chef’s knife out to slice it and then it is a dance of pure joy from both of us. My second thought, as gross as it is and my emotions are mixed, is when she rolls in something dead at the beach. Even though the scent is easily one of the most stomach-churning odours, the joy she experiences rubs off too. And I’m pretty happy with the way she smells after the following bath!
The Smell of Joy was Rotisserie Chicken. I don’t generally feed my dog from the counter OR at the same time as I myself eat, BUT we had been outside hiking and then driving and errands all day. We were both hungry but there was still work at home to do before I could eat. I have a rotisserie cooker on my counter so I popped in a whole chicken and continued to my home chores.
My dog eats real food, sometimes raw, sometimes cooked. Sometimes commercially prepared raw, but mostly we buy beef/chicken/organs, etc from the butcher and prep his meals ourselves. He isn’t food-driven. He never asks for food nor does he beg, stare or drool when humans are nearby eating.
It takes an hour for a rotisserie chicken to cook – the last half hour is fragrant and mouth-watering in anticipation.
Once it was finished, I placed it on the cutting board to carve and as I did so (like a barbarian) I just started eating it. As I did and as pieces cooled off a bit, my dog got fed too! Alongside me, food tossed off the counter toward him, and as improper as it was, we both seemed to enjoy it immensely. Moments treasured, a primitive meal shared, that began with the smell of rotisserie chicken.
I will add that I have cooked chicken this way since and he has neither begged, drooled nor hoped for his own portions as far as I could tell. It was a special time, just once.
—- We do share many moments of joy together but his sense of smell is so much stronger than mine so I can’t say that I enjoy the smell of driving to the forest hike (although I know he is able to smell it) or the smell of another dog approaching (although we both enjoy meeting other dogs (but only he can really smell them).
Every morning without fail, I wake up and brew a coffee for myself into a travel mug before I walk the dog. This is also her official sign to come downstairs, as she absolutely lives for walks. No matter the weather (other than thunderstorms), she will bounce around with excitement near the front door. It’s become such a morning ritual that I can’t imagine starting my day off any differently. In the three years we’ve had her, this ritual has been our constant. The smell of that first morning brew makes us both very happy.
The smell of pine trees, because we are our happiest, when we are out together for a walk in the woods.