Hoe Does He Know

[twodoggies2001]

Unless their beards are particularly in need, I wash my mini Schnauzer's faces on Friday. My family usually come together either at our home or one of their homes for dinner. Elliot, my youngest mini somehow knows, and this is without any indication of me setting the extended table for dinner or other clues. On other nights, he will come into the laundry where the treats are stored, but on Friday night, no way. He will go hide somewhere Surely they don't have an inbuilt calendar lol.

[Papillon Kisses]

Sometimes I suspect an inbuilt calendar, but who's to say! :laugh: There's probably little signals that aren't obvious to you or which go back much further than you realise. Dogs can be incredibly good at back-chaining aversive events.

[twodoggies2001]

When we have family dinner at our house, I make sure that the table setting is not even started before the beard washing event but he still knows. Oh well, I will just have to work on it to be smarter than him.

[Kirislin]

When we have family dinner at our house, I make sure that the table setting is not even started before the beard washing event but he still knows. Oh well, I will just have to work on it to be smarter than him.

:laugh: Good luck with that!

[Papillon Kisses]

It could be something like bringing home a special type of food that you only have on those Friday night dinners, or doing more or a different type of cleaning on Thursday or Friday in preparation, way before you start setting the table.

You can use a process called counter conditioning to change Elliot's emotional response to beard washing. In case you're not familiar with it, counter conditioning is pairing a bad thing like beard washing with a good thing — say a highly valued treat or toy — that your dog gets EVERY time that the bad thing happens, and ONLY when the bad thing happens. In this way, the bad thing becomes a reliable predictor of that very good thing happening, and how they feel about it changes.

I've done this with my dog for many things, but a good example is having his teeth brushed. Malcolm doesn't like having his teeth brushed and he'd previously fight it, and he now not only accepts it but actually gets very excited about having it done, because he knows that afterwards he'll get his super exciting dental treat then get to go upstairs for for bedtime cuddles. This bedtime routine is now a highlight of his day.

One obviously can't give a dog treats while brushing their teeth, but with Elliot you can throw him some treats while you're getting your supplies ready for beard washing, feed them to him while it's happening, then follow it up with more treats and lots of praise afterwards. Hope this helps!

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

My dog knows.

She knows by the time of the day it is. What I put in the car, what prep I do - not just setting the table. Whether we go for a walk at the usual time.

Prep includes shopping, washing, packing my handbag or backpack, packing treats for her, what collar I put on her... lots and lots of things.

She's very wary of me going out in the middle of the day and often hides, does not want a long car trip to be finished with a lot of crate time while I enjoy an undisturbed lunch with family.

[Akayla]

There was a theory going around at one stage that their strong sense of smell. Example was how some dogs just know when an owner is about to return. How did they know what they time was? The scent of said human decreases over the day and at a certain level the dog expects the owner will return. They tricked the dog by introducing more scent an hour before they were due to return raising the level back up. The dog slept through the owner returning :laugh:

So perhaps something similar could be at play here. If it happens on a regular day they dog may be able to smell that its time again. Like say the smell of their beard or just the scent in the room lowering to x amount.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

The dog slept through the owner returning :laugh:

My dog has done this a couple of times. But I don't make a fuss when I get home.

I also don't keep set hours.

[_PL_]

I swear they are mind readers! :laugh: I only need to *think* about getting the scissors out and two of my girls vanish.

[Scottsmum]

Cats too...

I think you just need to chalk it up to one of the great mysteries of the world.

[Mumsie]

I work outside of home two days a week, my JRT would turn her back on me and not even say good morning on those days, now they receive their dental chews that day and I get my early morning tail wags - no more turning her back on me.

[RuralPug]

You'd be surprised at all the things that also happen regularly on Fridays that you don't think about that he might connect with the beard washing - apart from the obvious stuff like you getting the beard washing equipment ready, it could be something that the neighbours do every Friday ( fish and chips?? kids allowed to play before tackling homework??), or changes in the traffic noise patterns or even a certain programme on TV or radio that happens Fridays just before beard washing.

So many things could happen just as regularly on a Friday which warns him that it is dreaded beard-wash day!

It seems that your other dogs don't mind it too much, it should be easy to counter condition young Elliot as Pap Kisses suggests when he sees the others enjoying very special treats on beard wash night. So special different treats on fridays to connect with beard washing. LOL if its a messy treat like BBQ chicken or sardines you may want the treat to precede the wash!!

Dogs and cats certainly come with unbuilt clocks (as we see twice a year when Daylight Saving is switched on or off LOL) and they pick up quickly on regular schedule changes such as weekend days vs school or work days buy anything else I suspect is linked to other clues that we wouldn't necessarily connect with certain days.