The innate behaviours of our pets

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/01/2023 (675 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I am getting to know Penelope, my daughter’s new seven-month old standard sized poodle Her behaviour is fascinating and quite adorable. Watching her, I have been trying to unravel the thoughts of our forefathers as they chose the most behaviourally suitable puppies for further breeding — and for what purposes they bred them.

Poodles have charismatic personalities and are smart, sensitive, and can often learn a command in just one go. They bond strongly and don’t like being without their ‘fam’ (family, as my daughter calls it). So, they will (at least this one will) emit the very screams of hell when they’re in the kennel and hearing the sounds of their ‘fam’ getting ready to leave.

(Sure, she could be left to freely enjoy the house but who wants the hibiscus tree dug up, pulled into the comfy rug spot and whittled down like a beaver log? It’s been attempted.)

“I thought she was going to be like Trundle,” I cried to my daughter. Trundle was the miniature poodle we adopted at 11 years old (featured in a July column).

My daughter quickly retorted: “Trundle was, like, probably 103 years old (when calculated in human years).

I have come to learn that standard poodles can jump straight over you when you are sitting on the stairs, like to steal fur-like trimmed clothing to play with outside and will enjoy a grand game of chase as you try to retrieve your jacket. Hopefully you will have a Ski-Doo to catch her.

And don’t fool yourself into thinking you can just hide something. Burying that frozen bit of juice that slid from the car’s travel cup into the snow is useless. The discarded fruit ice will be at your door (and consumed) in a minute due to the poodle’s keen sense of smell.

Despite reading about poodles’ ancient lineage as a fishing net and sport retriever (ever try pulling the comforter out of the wash?) I thought its modern categorization as a “non-sporting” dog ideal for home companionship would mean this dog would be, well, like an oversized lap dog.

Sitting out back at my daughter’s one day along with her cuddly puppy (standing in its usual manner of frozen stillness with characteristic front leg held up), Penelope suddenly ran off like a shot. She quickly returned with a gift of a lacerated fish in her jaws that had likely slid from the clutches of a water bird at the river close by.

Ah, what ancient lives this dog has led. But in this day and age, I will just run her with the bicycle.