The Crazy Things We Say to Our Dogs

Yes, I understand the dog learning process that conditions dogs to expect and/or react to the things we say, the things we do … even the things we wear. But, the other night, I cracked up when I realized a very strange thing Ginko, in particular, has picked up.

Beep, Beep, Beep

There is often a lot of milling around — both people and dogs — during meal prep here at Chez Champion of My Heart. Rather than get frustrated or ordering the dogs around, it seems I’ve taken to saying an odd thing that indeed gets the dogs to move.

“Beep, Beep, Beep,” I say, like I have a horn and find myself in a traffic jam.

It isn’t a long, wailing horn honk you so often hear in real traffic. It’s more of a friendly honkity, honk, honk that I might put forth from the Mini to encourage wildlife off the roads around our rural home.

I don’t know why it made me giggle so much other other night, but it did. So, just to double-check what I’d inadvertently taught the dogs, I began beep-beep-beeping them around the kitchen.

Beep. Move. Beep. Move.

The more I beeped, the more they moved, the more I laughed.

SO, it got me wondering … what else they’ve learned from my verbal quirks. I’m afraid to think about it, actually. It’s probably FAR too revealing.

Do tell. What’s the weirdest cue you taught your dog accidentally (or on purpose)?