Do Dogs Know That Different Houses Have Different Ruls?

[Loraine]

Zedley Iand I went ti visit with the yellow lab, BJ yesterday. They had a great visit and I had a good chat with BJ's owners. After a while I realised that the dogs had stopped racing around the garden and started to look for them. BJ was flat on his back on 'his' sofa and Zedley was snoozing on one of the comfy chairs

At home Zedley never gets on the futniture (except for the bed, and only whilst I am reading), he is not a 'lap' dog either. I figured that he was just doing what BJ does in BJ's house. I did tell him to get down, but I found it rather strange .

Any thoughts DOLers????

[BCPuppy]

Zedley Iand I went ti visit with the yellow lab, BJ yesterday. They had a great visit and I had a good chat with BJ's owners. After a while I realised that the dogs had stopped racing around the garden and started to look for them. BJ was flat on his back on 'his' sofa and Zedley was snoozing on one of the comfy chairs

At home Zedley never gets on the futniture (except for the bed, and only whilst I am reading), he is not a 'lap' dog either. I figured that he was just doing what BJ does in BJ's house. I did tell him to get down, but I found it rather strange .

Any thoughts DOLers????

Marlin is allowed indoors at home, but not at certain friends house, I only had to tell her once and now she knows that she has to stay outside when we are there, she does not try to come inside even if the door is open, although she does lay with her head on the step and periodically gives a big sigh just to remind you she is there

[corvus]

The beauty of an animal that doesn't generalise very well is that they can have specific rules for every unique situation.

[Dogs4Fun]

They sure can.

I used to dog sit a delightful corgi for an elderly lady who spent a lot of time in hospital (up to 6 months at a time). At her house, the dog slept on the bed, on the furniture, ate food from her hand, begged for food at the table.

At my house, the dog slept on its own dog bed on the floor (in the lounge room), never got onto the furniture, ate from its bowl, never begged.

And we didn't have a dog at the time.

She never made a mistake as to who's house she was in!

She also got lots of exercise with us (we would build up slowly though) and usually lost about 5 kg and got really muscly when with us. Then got soft and flabby again when with her mum. But she was a very happy dog all the time!

[Staranais]

The beauty of an animal that doesn't generalise very well is that they can have specific rules for every unique situation.

Yup.

[Edslaine]

Yes I think so too. When Edward is at my friend Paula's house he'll get up on the lounge but never does that at home.

[Parkeyre]

I have a fellow DOLers Great Dane here at the moment. She's staying over while that DOLer is out of town. She very well knows the difference in rules between here and home. This dog knows not to get on our lounges and not to get on our bed in the bedroom, but that she is welcome on the King Single Matress and on the deck chairs.

So Yes, I do believe that dogs understand that different houses can equal different rules.

[t-time]

I often have visitors with different rules at their house but they come here and after they have had one visit, they know what is expected of them

Sometimes they *do* slip up but I'm always kindly in those situations and remind them gently

[Vehs]

D gets up on the couches at mum's house, but not at my house.... but mum just bought another leather reclining lounge so he is slowly learning to not jump on that.

D really struggled with not being allowed inside at my friends house - we took him to visit her dogs and horses and run around on her property we didn't take him to lock him outside! But I think if he visits there more often he'd understand that we don't disappear once we are inside and abandon him.

[sandgrubber]

Mine understand differences of rules about getting on furniture. And they catch on fast to the fact that some people are ready for a cuddle at 5 am and others would prefer to wait until 9 or 10

[sas]

My dogs know that when they go to my parents house there are pretty much NO rules, my parents are terrible Grandparents to my Danes!

They have a leather sofa and reclining chairs, Leila curls herself up in one and when they ask her in a very polite manner to hop off she ignores them so they leave her there with her!

It seriously takes some realigning when we get her back if we leave her there on holiday!

[noisymina]

Ours has different rules for different people.

Some of the things my DH lets her do, she knows I won't. Doesn't even try.

When my son is home and working in the office here, she doesn't even ask to come into the room. As soon as he leaves, she's in with me.

She has a different bark for every car that comes in the driveway. And I know who it is - or if it's complete stranger - by listening to her bark.

[Jumabaar]

The beauty of an animal that doesn't generalise very well is that they can have specific rules for every unique situation.

Unless they WANT to generalise- I taught Abby to use a small coffee table to get up onto the bed when she hurt her back. Now she believes all coffee tables are fair game, regardless of my attempts to retrain that they are not!! It has since also gotten to the point where she has decided other peoples dinner tables are also fair game thankfully that is only terraniks table and not mine!!!!

That being said she knows she can get on the bed at my place but sleeps beside my grandparents place when she visits there.