Frequently we see posts here from people that have to be away from their dogs for a month or two and worry that the dog will forget them...well I feel dogs have fantastic memories.
Yesterday when walking the dogs we ran across a very old dog that use to come to the dog park when Chaos was a puppy. He was old even back then and some what grumpy and eventually had to stop coming as he nipped one of the young dogs that was annoying him. Chaos has not seen him for years and yes she was a puppy that loved to bug him then would zoom away when he would playfully lunged towards her as she was a bit afraid of him too. He would stand there and grin as she zoomed around him so it was like some old guy saying Boo to a young child then laughing at the reaction
So yesterday she seems him and wants me to go over near him as she was on leash but he was not leashed. He is slow and a bit unsteady. Chaos became a silly puppy again and was enticing him to play and to humor her like he use to he gave a few play bows and lunged towards her nearly falling over as he did. I let go of the leash and she zoomed around him just like she did years ago as a puppy and he grinned. It was really cute and no doubt in anyone's mind that they both remembered each other as they picked right up with that same silly game.
As we were walking away two more dogs that use to come to the dog park were walking into this park ( mind you this is not the dogs park) and they use to play with my two but once again it has been a few years as they too quite going to the dog park Yet from a distance all 4 dogs knew who they were seeing and got all crazy. Dazzle got the zoomies big time which is always funny as he is such a goofball.
Years ago Jazz made friends with two yorkies when she was a puppy then when she was about 3 the owner added a new yokie puppy who annoyed all the other dogs in the play group Jazz went too.After several weeks Jazz decided the puppy needed to learn some manners so when it jumped all over her she pinned it down and was growling. People thought she was going to kill it but I told them to let her be as she was not harming the puppy rather she was trying to teach it some manners. She eventually let the puppy go and from that day on every time we saw the 3 dogs the puppy rolled in submission when she approached Jazz. And being the Queen she was Jazz liked that
( and no Jazz did not "alpha roll" the pup when she pinned it she just grabbed it and held onto it)
My life changed and we could not longer go to that play group. Seven years passed and while at agility one night the owner and those 3 yorkies were walking past off leash and the dogs saw Jazz the two older ones zoomed over and Jazz started acting like a puppy she was so excited as were they . If you do not know Jazz did have fear aggression so was reactive to dogs she had not befriended when she was a pup so at first people in the agility club freaked when they saw these 2 little dogs running up to her then they were amazed when they say her playing with them. The 3rd one held back for a few minutes then rushed over and slid on her back under Jazz in that submissive way she had done as a puppy and soon Jazz and the 3 yorkies were having a blast so once again it proves dogs do have fantastic memories.
Besides that all the dogs in my family or friends dogs that live far from me always seem to know me when I visit even if a few years have passed as they all know I am the fun lady who loves playing with them!
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