Planning

There is no doubt that planning is important in any venture you want to go well.
I'm so wise sometimes it's scary.
Other times I'm a bit of an air-head.
Sonny and I were reading one of the tips which we've attached to this blog which was about 'exciting exercise' (16/10/08). Basically this tip suggested that hiding treats under up-turned food bowls was fun for dogs. It isn't fun, it's a stupid idea and here's why:

• there might still be food in the bowl which is invisible to the human eye (this is why many dogs will re-visit a bowl long after it seems to be empty and start licking it)
• often food bowls are heavy, being made from good quality earthenware and are therefore impossible to right without thumbs
• some food bowls are tinny, cheap efforts which are also impossible to right as they move around the floor when pushed with a nose
• other things could be trapped under the up-turned food bowl, like small puppies and children (owners practicing these 'fun exercises' should always be sure to conduct a head-count before and after)
• dogs are perfectly capable of finding fun ways to exercise, for instance, recently I posted a blog on what I do with trash bins whilst ST & FP are not around. That's FUN!
• you wouldn't like it if one of us tipped your larder on its door, would you?

So, I hope you all understand now that between resisting the (well meant) efforts of owners heeding bad advice and the various pursuits we dogs formulate for ourselves using our own brains, you can see how planning would become a key part of our routines. It sometimes looks like we're asleep. Chances are we're planning.