Amateur Psychology
There is nothing worse than amateur psychology when it’s being used by your human to understand you. “Get on the couch, Wilma. Tell me all your problems.” Ok, to be fair, she didn’t quite go as far as that.
The problem all started when Mum read an article about Border Collies. The article was explaining that much of their behaviour is the dog equivalent of autism. Border Collies can be very good at focussing on a task and doing it to the exclusion of all else. They are not always great with strangers. They are creatures of extreme habit.
Where do I fit in?
Honestly, do I look like a Border Collie? Ok, so maybe some of the behaviours I’ve described could be applied to Aristotle. He likes his routine, who doesn’t? He likes to go to bed at a particular time and won’t go without his biscuit. Again, who doesn’t? So, Shadow would play ball until she dropped down dead if she were allowed to. What point is she making? We might have a fair few traits in common with a Border Collie, but we’re working dogs. Obviously, we need to be determined, focussed, thorough, fearless. We need to bond closely with our main human. That does not in any way put us on the dog autism spectrum.
In our defence
I argue we take our lead from our humans. Do you see Mum coping with surprises or sudden changes in routine? No. Does she give up on a task once she’s started? No – a case in point would be trying to learn German. She has now used the Duolingo programme on the computer for more than 2500 consecutive days and is she any good at it? No. Does she know when to give up? No, no, no.
All three of us would be perfectly well adjusted, laid back dogs if we hadn’t had her as our human. I’m not complaining. I’d follow her to the end of the earth, but I really don’t need to be analysed.
Love
Wilma