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I figured something out today which I had noticed a few times before, but didn't understand.
The little dog doesn't like the vacuum cleaner. When I start vacuuming in a room she is in, she runs out of the room if she can. The big dog, Zorro, doesn't usually seem very bothered. She only moves away when I come very near. But a few times, she has started following me around.
Today as I vacuumed the den, she was in one corner between the sofas. Rather than turning the vacuum off to let her get up and walk past me so I could do that corner, I went the other way to vacuum another room first.
As I was vacuuming that room, she walked in and lay down on the side I hadn't done yet. I had to tell her to move so I could vacuum there. Then as I continued on into the other rooms, she kept following me. Not directly by my side, but keeping a bit of distance.
On days like today, I can tell that she doesn't really like the vacuum cleaner noise - by the way she holds her head and ears and by how tentatively she moves. So why does she follow the vacuum cleaner around instead of staying away? I think she must have been in her "I'm afraid of that noise, let me get close to the humans so they can protect me" mode. Even though the human in this case is the source of the bad noise!
The little dog doesn't like the vacuum cleaner. When I start vacuuming in a room she is in, she runs out of the room if she can. The big dog, Zorro, doesn't usually seem very bothered. She only moves away when I come very near. But a few times, she has started following me around.
Today as I vacuumed the den, she was in one corner between the sofas. Rather than turning the vacuum off to let her get up and walk past me so I could do that corner, I went the other way to vacuum another room first.
As I was vacuuming that room, she walked in and lay down on the side I hadn't done yet. I had to tell her to move so I could vacuum there. Then as I continued on into the other rooms, she kept following me. Not directly by my side, but keeping a bit of distance.
On days like today, I can tell that she doesn't really like the vacuum cleaner noise - by the way she holds her head and ears and by how tentatively she moves. So why does she follow the vacuum cleaner around instead of staying away? I think she must have been in her "I'm afraid of that noise, let me get close to the humans so they can protect me" mode. Even though the human in this case is the source of the bad noise!
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Date: 2020-05-24 04:27 am (UTC)From:"You're running this horrible monster of a machine so let me follow you so you can protect me from it" is an interesting theory. Maybe that's better in her mind than you blindsiding her with it? Can dogs think that far ahead/see and choose to avoid consequences?
And is it still OK for me to call her a she (read the last post)?
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Date: 2020-05-24 05:06 am (UTC)From:Yes, certainly. I'm still having a hard time of it myself, but I don't care what anyone else calls them, and I'm pretty sure they don't either.
> Maybe that's better in her mind than you blindsiding her with it?
Maybe ze doesn't realize that I'm controlling it, and thinks it is following me, and that it could turn around on its own and start going after zir if I'm not close by to stop it? I don't know.
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Date: 2020-05-24 05:13 am (UTC)From: