Patterns, Pee, and Packing
Dogs, like many people, prefer
familiar patterns. Others need them. Glindy is one of
those dogs, and I'm one of those people.
One of Glindy's patterns is that the back yard is a safe haven for
doing her business. She will almost always potty on cue when I take
her out in the back yard just before bed, but I'm pretty sure it
isn't the verbal cue itself at work. Instead, I think it's the
whole routine, including time and place. Even if I take her out
early or late, there's still a familiarity around the procedure
that cues her that it's time to relieve herself before we both turn
in.
Because of some landscaping work I'm having done, the back yard was
off-limits yesterday while some sealant dried. I took the dogs out
front instead, into the newly-xeriscaped (and safely enfenced)
front yard. Benny and Spencer were happy to explore and pee all
over the boulders and river rock, but Glindy refused to do the
same. She chose to stick right beside me instead, which was a
laudable sentiment but not exactly what was needed at the
moment.
Now, keep in mind that the back yard was recently re-done with the
same river rock, so it wasn't simply a substrate issue. Part of it
was the newness of it, and Glindy has been well-trained that new
places usually mean "no peeing." So, I'm sure that was a part of
it, although usually her instinct to over-mark another dog's scent
overcomes that fast enough. There must have been something else at
work, too.
I've been busily packing for the past few days, trying to get a
head start for my trip to Idaho tomorrow. In the past, the routine
has been that suitcases in the living room means frantic rushing
through the night followed by travel the next morning, and this
always distresses Glindy tremendously. So, it's definitely a
stressful pattern for us, but it's a routine that we both
understand quite well.
This time, though, in a vain and ultimately fruitless attempt to
avoid last-minute enfrazzlement (don't bother to look the word up;
I coined it just now) I started packaging several days ahead of
time. Whether or not this leads to an actual reduction in
night-before lunacy remains to be seen, but it is most definitely
confusing Glindy, who thinks I might be leaving at any moment and
is desperately worried I might leave her behind.
Why would that contribute to her pee-related confusion? I have no
idea, but I suspect it played a larger part than anyone else might
think. As a result, she had to spend the night in her crate to
avoid any nocturnal micturations, but was none the worse for wear
when I dropped her off at day care this morning.
I certainly couldn't go 14 hours without a bathroom break,
but it's good to know that Glindy can. After all, I've been
stressing about our six-hour travel time to Boise, and whether she
could make the whole trip without a pit stop. Strangely enough, I
feel reassured; she will almost always pee at the Reno airport's
puppy park, if for no other reason than to tell all those other
dogs who's boss. So, unless she's sick, six hours should be no
trouble at all.