Dark, quiet, and far, far away.
That’s what six year old shepherd mix Nadya likes about her special place under the queen size bed in the guestroom.
Nadya doesn’t bark in the yard. She never chews her owners’ sunglasses. She won’t ever potty on the dhurrie rug in the dining room. She sits for her food and doesn’t jump on visitors. Nadya does something that her owners find even more frustrating and aggravating than any of those behaviors.
She hides.
Her favorite hiding place is the guestroom bunker but if that door is closed (in her owners’ weak attempt at doggie sabotage) she’ll slink behind the living room sofa or wedge herself behind the potted plant in t
he hallway.
When – and why – does Nadya hide?
Lots of reasons….
1. To avoid going outside when it’s raining or snowing;
2. To de
lay the inevitable exit of her owners – and having to be alone for the day;
3. To escape the grasping hands and shrieking voice of the resident toddler;
4. To dull the awful sound of thunder and minimize the static in the air during a lightning storm;
5. To play the hard-to-get game when her owners call her;
6. To find a safe place away from the vacuum cleaner.
Nadya’s owners have tried everything they can think of to get Nadya to come out.
Peering from under the bed, Nadya thinks:
“Aaah, I’m invisible. You can’t see me or touch me so I don’t have to do anything you tell me to do. I know all your tricks. First you’ll get on your knees and try to see my eyes in the dark. You’ll use a sweet cajoling voice to tell me what a good girl I am and that mommy loves you and to come out please. C’mon now, you can do better than that. Then, your voice will get more urgent and kind of mean-sounding. I’ll scootch back agains the wall even further when you talk that way. You’ll get out my favorite treats, the ones that look like pizza slices, and put some on the floor next to the bed. Seriously, did you really think I’d fall for a bribe? Remember what WACO stands for? We Ain’t Comin’ Out!”
If Nadya’s owners were consistent in their definition – and application – of the household rules, Nadya wouldn’t flagrantly defy them by diving headfirst into the hidden depths of the guest room.
And if Nadya’s owners had established the crate as Nadya’s safe place, and always left it out with the door open, the dog might have chosen the crate as her hiding place instead of escaping to bedroom Siberia.
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