Should we be ignoring our dogs?

[Beanwood]

So with a sore head and shoulder ( think spinning top and face plant..) I am resting today.

I have 5 snoring dogs and a roaring fire, and taking time to catch up on a couple of my favourite doggy people and their blogs, perfect!

Right now, on my sofa and with my dogs, we are in harmony, I am not ignoring them, but we are all comfortable sharing our space together. But this blog HERE author Sindhoor Pangal did get me thinking.

I do love coming home so I can greet my dogs. They mill around me excitedly, and I hunker down giving each one attention. I love it! Bramble gazes at me with soft eyes, Otter gets a bit clingy, but I let her cling as she finds this reassuring. Benson bounces with a loose body and helicopter tail, River seeks my face, she feels obliged to lick eyes, ears and nose of everyone who comes to the door! Casper stays in bed these days, but I can tell he is happy to see me! So after minute the bustle of my arrival has died down, I give Casper a bit of quiet attention. Then it's individual beds for a quick game followed by a chew. River might still be excited, so we might play a game of "find her peanut" followed by one of her gazillion lickimats!

So now I am curious? Do you have a routine, and what does that look like?

 

[HAH]

This is a lovely and thought-provoking question for me, as it’s made me realise that since I’ve been working from home, I don’t often go out without Kipper. So generally our homecomings are together and relatively calm. If I do go out solo, Kipper’s greeting starts at the garden gate with a soft, wiggling body and tail wagging from base to tip. He starts his spins as soon as I approach - normally around 4 spins will do it before I’m following him down the path, through the back door and into the house for an essential toy in his mouth and weaving between the legs of the closest human. Kipper will then station himself near his biscuits and gaze meaningfully until he (usually) gets a small handful on his bed, or (rarely) gets bored and gives up!

 

[Beanwood]

Kipper will then station himself near his biscuits and gaze meaningfully until he (usually) gets a small handful on his bed, or (rarely) gets bored and gives up!

Haha! Love this

 

[M.F.]

I’m so excited to see Snowie when I get home. And equally so he is so excited to see me. Although as @HAH mentioned, with WFH this doesn't happen too often anymore!

If someone is home, then the door is open and he’ll meet me in the garden, ears crinkled with love. If he’s inside the house, then he’ll be at the front door to greet me. We always end up with my sitting on the stairs inside and he buries his head in my lap and I give him a good head and neck scratch. And we also do lots of kissing! On the lips! Sometimes he picks up a toy and parades happily around. And then he flops down on his bed and continues to gently wag his tail and stare at me lovingly. And then I can’t resist but to go sit with him on his bed and give him more scratches and rubdowns. I have to remember with all of this going on to also kiss my husband hallo!

I feel sad reading recommendations to ignore your dog when you come home. I get that you might not want the massive exuberance that can cause injury, but that can be managed without the need to ignore your dog.

 

[Beanwood]

And we also do lots of kissing! On the lips!

River does this. I swear her tongue is powered by a mini jet engine! Cheaper than a course of dermabrasion I guess...

 

[Boogie]

What a lovely blog.

I love homecomings because Tatze is here to greet us. I couldn’t ignore her any more than I could ignore any other member of our family.

With her and the pups we’ve always made sure paws stay on the ground. But first thing in the morning she can’t help jumping and I make sure a handy chair is between us so that she doesn’t knock me out!

 

[Boogie]

 

[Stacia]

I could never ignore my dog when he comes to greet me. He picks up Teddy and walks round and round with it, banging his tail against the walls and leaving blood! How could anyone ignore that delight on both sides.

 

[Naya]

When I come home, I bend my knees so Harley can put her paws on my legs and give me a kiss. She then runs in the front room to get a teddy. I then sit on the floor as she circles me with her teddy and me smoothing her as she walks. She then sits, gives me her paw then buries her head in my lap for more rubs. Usually we then go in the garden to play for 5 mins. I could never ignore her when I come home.

 

[Jacqui-S]

Lilly always comes to greet me, though may take a little longer these days depends where she is sleeping.
Full body wag, always get a stroke from me and a verbal welcome. She isn't generally a go-getter of toys or slipper.
Both dogs will lurk around in the hallway if they are expecting someone to come home.
@Sophiedoodle doodle can describe her own homecoming greeting from Oreo

 

[Atemas]

We’ve been out today to a granddaughter’s birthday lunch for a few hours. Red was excited to see us on return (lots of body and tail wagging) and we do make a bit of a fuss of her but generally we make comings and goings low key as they are part of our/her routine. I could never just ignore her - she’s family. On the whole she is not left that often. Today, I said to her ‘I’ll just get changed and we’ll go for a walk’. She was standing waiting patiently at the bottom of the stairs for me and we’ve just had a lovely walk with lots of positive interactions

 

[kateincornwall]

Our two know the signs , if I pick up my handbag and put on a decent coat , they are not coming Both are very good to be left , Reuben always greets us as we open the door and we always speak to him and give a stroke or two . Nelly, bless her heart, does not hear us come in so sometimes we can have put the shopping away before she rouses and realises that we are home , then scampers around in excitement , no way I would ever ignore them x

 

[Candy]

Isn't it supposed to be rude to ignore someone greeting you? Joy greets me with her whole back end wagging and always, always by bringing me something. This could be a toy, my slippers or my socks. We have a spot of fuss, stroking, kissing, 'Yes, yes, GoodGirl, I'm ever so pleased to see you too!' and whatnot, then she happily let's me get on with whatever I need to do. It causes not the slightest problem and I would be most indignant if it didn't happen!

 

[JES72]

Homer will usually come down stairs when I open the door. I call out "Hello my boy!" then "Hello my other boy!" To hubby as he'd usually working from home now. As Homer's got older it sometimes takes him a bit longer to get up and off our bed and down the stairs. If its in the evening he'll give me a quick sniff and then go and sit by his bowl for his dinner. He's not big at greeting us but will bark at anyone else who comes to the door.

 

[Jacqui-S]

Homer sounds a bit like Lilly @JES72

 

[Loraseal]

I could not under any circumstance ignore Hunter. We have full body wag followed by Hunter talking and then it is gentle mouthing on my neck and he then lies down for a good rub on his elbows followed by a 180 degree flip on his back ready for a tummy and back leg run down. As long his joints let him do this we will continue. After the rubs he wlill then herd me to the kitchen for his meal. We both delight in this exercise!

 

[Emily]

I often have my hands full of bags and/or children as I walk through the door so I often walk in to see Ella wiggling at the door. I say "Hi baby girl, hang on a sec, I'll say hi properly in a minute". Then I dump my stuff (and kids ) and say "OK, I'm ready!" and then she charges at me for a big hello

We've always had this greeting (from the puppy days of teaching not to jump up) when she'll run between my legs, then I turn around and she runs back between again. We keep going until the excitement has worn off.

 

[Anne123]

Is it possible to ignore our dogs….?
I can’t ignore Finn, even if I would want to ignore him. Have you tried? I often read about the stare when it is about dinner time or if we have forgotten something. They read and write us, every move we make, sound we make they know what to come or expect that is going to happen.
Finn always greets us when we come down early in the morning. When he thinks we are too late he starts making noises to come down and give him breakfast. We can’t ignore him….Also the stare when it is late in the evening when he wants to go to bed, begging us to go out for he wants to go to sleep. He sits in front of us and sits on his hind legs, his fore paws on one of us legs. Yawning to sign it’s time to go to bed. We have a dog that is half human. We certa can’t ignore him and don‘t want to

 

[Sophiedoodle]

@Sophiedoodle doodle can describe her own homecoming greeting from Oreo

As I pull up in front of the house, I can hear Oreo barking from inside. She has usually been waiting for me up on mum & dads bed (the window looks out the front of the house). As soon as I open the door, she has her paws up scratching and pawing at the inside vestibule door - plastic panels now covered in scratches… oops!
She goes crazy, full body wag and barks with enthusiasm. Runs through to the living room and dives onto the sofa so that she can greet me again as I walk through and she is poking her head around the door with her paws on the arm of the sofa oh I just love her Lilly also gets excited with all of this so she comes looking for a cuddle too (which she, of course, gets!)

 

[Candy]

As I pull up in front of the house, I can hear Oreo barking from inside. She has usually been waiting for me up on mum & dads bed (the window looks out the front of the house). As soon as I open the door, she has her paws up scratching and pawing at the inside vestibule door - plastic panels now covered in scratches… oops!
She goes crazy, full body wag and barks with enthusiasm. Runs through to the living room and dives onto the sofa so that she can greet me again as I walk through and she is poking her head around the door with her paws on the arm of the sofa oh I just love her Lilly also gets excited with all of this so she comes looking for a cuddle too (which she, of course, gets!)

Welcome greetings from our dogs are just the best!