You can forget your "stay" and your "down" and your "wait" and your "come here". In our household, the most effective command is.... wait for it.....
"WOSSIS?"
Said in a high-pitched, excited voice, it is guaranteed to make our houndies react - whether the intent is to get their attention or make them get out of bed or lure them into the garden or move them from room to room. It has even caused Pearly to gallop halfway across a field to get to me tout de suite.
"What does it mean?" I hear you cry. It means "what's this tasty treat I have in my hand that could well be for you?!"
Anyone else got any sure-fire sneaky commands that they use?
I don't have to say a word, not even a whisper. Vegas can be lying sparko on the couch legs in the air and snoring his head off. But... one ear is always cocked for the distant rustling of a chocolate wrapper or a paper bag. He's at your side before you can wink, to see if you have any goodies to share with him.
He might not hear our biscuit wrappers rustle if we opened them under water in future. But no-one but him would want to eat a soggy biscuit anyway. And we'd miss out on a lot of fun watching him spring to attention!
Christine, I'm like you, I'm a bit partial to a Kit Kat with my cuppa but I've taken to scoffing them in the kitchen, with all the doors and windows closed, often in the dark. Wizard is a kit-kat-a-holic and will forget all manners when he hears that silver foil being removed...
I have been thinking about this too. Mine can go quite deaf at the bottom of the garden (on a cold windy night). The back door is in the utility room where they eat. I just grab their clean bowls bang them together and shout 'come on, whats this, yum yums!' Yes I know how daft it sounds but they always come!
have been thinking about this for the last few days and the most useful command in our house seems to be 'mon then'. It seems to cover a variety of things from - 1. Lets go for a walk 2. Lets get dinner 3. Lets go to bed 4. Lest go play in the garden 5. Go out and pee
What you haven't clarified is this Glenda commanding you or the dogs????
"WOSSIS" must be universal then, 'cos I realised I say it too!! In fact, it did the trick last night as I persuaded Macy to eat her dinner rather than listen to fireworks.
Now for us to blockade ourselves in against the firework display at Broadwood Loch tonight!
I think it's the hissing sound this command makes. There is a tom cat that comes round our house and starts fights with our tom cat (yes, Greyhound and cats living side by side!). It has, on occasion, got into our house and sprayed. The spray of an un-neutered tom cat is foul smelling. We nicknamed this cat P*ssy Paws ( sounds like hissy paws, excuse the language) because of it's urination habits. When we say the name Ruby (the dog) goes absolutley bananas. Now we only have to make a hissing noise to start her off. That's my theory anyway.