She may not lift a front paw, straighten her tail and go into a rigid posture, but when Banner points, humans (need to) listen. Clearly pointers think that humans are hard of hearing and you have to take extra measures to assure that your point lands.
This morning, after a low of around 16, dogs woke up early, urgently needing to go outside, and the fireplace held only a few coals. So, the human had to emerge from the warmth of the bed, pull back the comforter, find the sweats and shoes in the dark, and start the morning a bit early. This is probably my fault for saying that I couldn’t wait to have my cup of coffee in the morning when I was getting ready for bed.
Once the basics were covered, Banner and I went to the kitchen. Coffee was the first thing on my mind, but Banner went into a point in front of the refrigerator. I talked to her, but she kept her focus. I thought she must be hungry. Sometimes when you wake up, even after a good meal, you can be very hungry. So I opened the refrigerator door to remove half and half for my coffee and milk for her oatmeal, then as I closed the door, I realized what she wanted, something on the other side of the frig. She was remembering the banana cake that Greg made, a large sheet cake with sour cream frosting. We had been sharing a piece every day, and her expression conveyed her evaluation of his work. Sometimes when Greg is preparing for travel, he cooks ahead, which is very nice. There is also a chicken stew that is hot for dinner, and once for lunch. By the time he gets back, I will be tired of chicken stew, for a while. There won’t be much banana cake left.
Emotion is a strong driver of memory. When we have a sudden emotion about something, it has a better chance of retention than if we do not have an emotional reaction. The same is true for learning in classes; the more enthusiastic you are about a subject, the easier it is to retain what you’ve learned. This surely applies to all animals, given that we share the same to very similar wiring, and learning serves the critical purpose of survival. And banana cake, per Greg’s recipe, is an emotional experience!
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