[Frierlovene]

Just wondering if I am the only one who has resorted to spelling words in front of the dog when you don't want them to know what you are saying?

Just really "hot" words that would attract doggy attention like, "out, yard, run, cat"...or whatever words your dog finds particularly appealing.

It has gotten so bad with V. that now I can't even spell entire words. Many times before I take her out in the yard to play; I'll have a discussion with someone in the house about my intentions...that sometimes involves a discussion around whether or not this is a good time and if she is really going to go out and play at this exact minute...so I don't want to alert her until it's a definite...because once she knows she's going out she gets super excited and starts jumping, whining, barking, running to the door and acting like a mad dog.

This weekend I was talking to the husband, deciding if I wanted to take V. out to play because we had had some rain and the yard was muddy. (I know she's a dog, but I was debating on whether or not I wanted to roll my freshly bathed dog in the mud). V. was "asleep" on the couch.

Do you think I should take her in the Y...A...

Veronica's head pops up (from what appeared to be a sound sleep), she looks from me to the door to me...with that expectant look that says..."I'm about to zoomie! Yea me...I'm going out!" She was about to get up; which would involve running to me, jumping on me (like a mack truck) and around me while whining and barking...because going out gets her very excited. Except that I then had to tell her to "wait" (which is a word she doesn't care for). Actually I had to tell her "wait" a couple of times, with the accompanying hand signal before the haze cleared from her eyes and she managed to look crestfallen.

So now I can't say "Y...A"; I definitly can't say "Y...A..R...D"; and "O...U...T" is out of the question.

I know she really can't "spell"; but I cannot believe that she is that in tune with what we are saying and doing that we actually have to be sneaky in order to have private conversations and keep secrets from the dog.