Tired of my dogs immediately demanding their evening snack the moment I walk in the door after my afternoon shift — which gets me home anywhere between 6:20 – 6:50 p.m., I developed a new strategy that keeps them from bugging me until I can get settled, start dinner and tend to any pre-dinner chores. A very simple formula, I simply set the alarm on my smart-phone for 7:00 p.m. which will alert them that it is officially time.
I started working on this Pavlovian method about six weeks ago, and it didn’t take long for them to get the idea — they are terriers, after all. Now it is rather endearing to see all four of my dogs immediately get into position in my kitchen the moment those first two notes of that sweet tune emit from my phone. I keep it playing during the brief feeding session (3 treats apiece, the girls are better at catching, while the guys need to have theirs handed to them). If Chuck is downstairs he will pause to enjoy the show, himself grooving to the tune.
Sometimes it’s the simple things.
Wired for Whimsy 