As I walked the girls out back yesterday, I wondered why people get so surprised when their (insert animal here) is surprised/frightened/overwhelmed by (insert unremarkable thing here).
Animals do not have an encyclopedia of immediate and past and future knowledge, as we do.
They don't read a map the night before they travel to a new city.
They live from here to there. Not very far. Most animals have what I think of as "narrow" intelligence. They can retain an incredible amount of tiny detail, but generalize badly. You know those intelligence tests where you have to find differences between two sets of seemingly identical drawings?
Animals actually excel at that, within their own narrow "field" of experience, in my generalized opinion.
Humans can much more easily learn to generalize, it's how we've learned to gestalt stuff. Focus on stuff.
Everyday, our animals reconnoiter their routines we unwittingly allow them to memorize. They don't "know" that they are about to (insert new situation here). That new situation could be something as innocuous (to you) as using a new kitchen appliance. Not that I have ever experienced a new kitchen appliance, but that's another story.
It's like a dog that barks at the new toaster, or a quiet horse that spooks on the trail he's traveled three gabillion times, upon seeing a small piece of string on the ground.
An arena door the horse "knows" will open and close, still spooks him, if he's not warned of it's imminent opening. Thinking as a horse, I can't blame them for spooking. It would look like a bear-trap, opening without warning.
Prey animals don't like to see sudden openings/changes in shapes, without warning.
When opening or closing arena doors, one says/power voices "Door" before opening the arena door. Both ways. Yup, in, and out. I can't remember exactly when I learned that, but I think it was 40 years ago. I spooked a horse very badly, by suddenly opening an arena door. It makes more sense, if you think like a horse.
(Thanks, Padraigin.)
OMG, speaking of thinking like an animal, Dr. Temple Grandin's in Ontario, doing lectures! Way cool, huh? Wish I could go...
I'm in the process of re-vamping my life. I think many of us are. We're all figuring out the next best direction to take.
Animals will, quite willingly, follow our direction.
As long as we understand how their innate directions work, first.
Dancing Routines.
My dogs and I walk my back fields every day. We begin with a rollicking race towards any rodent hanging around the house. That lasts four seconds. After a few Frisbee warm-up throws, we head out for our 45 minute daily walk. That's the minimum amount of exercise my girls will allow me. Most of the time it's longer. Much longer:)
Twice on Saturday, AND Sunday. More, of course, if it isn't winter. (eeeeeeeeeeek)
We have our own memorized routines now. After warm-ups, we head out. Sometimes, after the request to drop and leave Frisbees, the Blaze puppy will cajole Flip into immediate race play. Most times, Flip declines.
Flip slinks ahead, on full predator murder/death/kill alert.
Blaze and I dance, until she realizes I really do want to count some trees. She BoingS beside me, ala Pluto in his goofiest moments, straight up, front knees up, hind legs touching underneath, ears flying. Pronkin', really. Very silly/hysterical to watch.
Until she finally bounds away after her sister, Blaze and I practice her favourite routines. Blaze starts out straight ahead of me, walking backwards, smiling for all she's worth.
While I'm walking. Point my left arm, turn slightly left.
Blaze: RUN against the clock!
Raise left arm, quickly lower.
Blaze: STOP. Blaze: DROP.
Spin right arm clockwise.
Blaze: spin/ROLL OVER clock-wise
(Lately, she's been trying it from a greater height,I wish I had a trampoline for her). Blaze usually starts to giggle around now.
Point right, turn slightly right.
Blaze: RUN with the clock!!
Rinse and repeat. Interspersed with slapping my left hip, and smiling at her as she glues herself to my side as we walk. Stop, sit, come, wait, paw? Then we do the run with/against the clock directions again. What a laugh riot, for a herder!
We're adding to the routine daily, I'll keep ya posted. Working on music for it..
I hear rock'nroll bag-pipes when we play, or a down-east Rankin family tune.
She is so much like my old red dog, she wants something new to learn everyday.
Don't we all?
(I'm hoping so. Trouble is, new now means new electronic. That's not the kind of new I mean.)
Flip meanwhile, ignoring all dance requests, (except follow my general direction, and stay close) may or may not have rolled in something. Touch wood, she's been good, but there's a minor rodent (moles/mice babies) die-off going on out in the fields and my lawn (why??) so, here's hoping it's a peaceful night. I don't THINK she ate one.
Only Flip knows for sure.
Blaze is still weirded out by stuff she's never seen before, or that seems slightly different, or happens at a different time of day.. She's three! How much experience do I expect of her?? Not that much. I always expect the unexpected...
Toe-Tapper out...
8 comments:
New appliances are highly overrated. Get a new stove and you are expected to cook. Go figure.
Much better to dance with your dog.
Yep, you are right, I didn't comment here.
Piffle on the new appliances. If they work, who cares? I hate my oven here, it is gas, which I like, and was new when we moved in, but damn it is small. I guess the lady who we bought this house from didn't cook much.
Your insights on the way animals think is dead on.
I remember many times like you describe in the indoor where I boarded Spunky. He was a pretty good guy, but others didn't do so well.
I also wish there was pony club around where I grew up, especially in Missouri when I had Cody. That would have been wonderful.
Thanks for taking us on your walk ,I could just picture you and the pups out there! You would have a blast with Win and Skeeter in that mix!
When Skeet was a pup , I wanted to teach him , come ,and sit(most important thing is to be able to call your dog back to you) he got so good at it he was sitting before he got stopped , it was more like come and skid sit!
hanging head here, as it was me who caused that horse to spook yesterday. A hailstorm had just ended and he probably thought I was a thunder and lightning come to life when I popped into the arena w/o announcement.
Such good animal insight you have GoL.
and for what it's worth, I've never had a new stove either.
Paddy, darlin', if people were perfect, women would be ruling the world.
My next story will tell you just one of the bone-headed things I've done around horses.
Live/learn/life. No-one got hurt, and you renewed your knowledge about something. AND, you Paddy, inspired the finish of this post. Thank you & Kudos!
Hah, FV, Blaze did the same thing at her obedience classes, she'd hit the brakes, and skid into heel position, from full blast RUN towards me.
She skidded and Turned, at the same time.
Good thing the floors were smooth, she woulda had butt burn:)
Jeeepers, one reference to a new appliance...
Maybe I will see one before I hit 60.
Not holding my breath here:)
I think of horses as being similar to humans with phobias. I get scared if something looks like a spider. Horses have very bad fear of anything that looks like a predator.
bhm- well that explains my fear of the stove, now then.
EEEEK, where's the spider???
LOL, NCC!
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