100%. My old dog got to go on special night time walks with me, without a leash. It started with just hanging out on the front porch, where she proved she wouldn’t chase anything or anyone. Then we moved onto walking around the front yard, with her continuing to follow directions and return to me whenever I called her back.
Eventually it turned into full-on walks where she had learned to stop still in her tracks whenever headlights appeared down the road. As a result, she got to enjoy really sniffing out the bushes and posts around the neighborhood without any pressure to hurry along. I know it meant a lot to her. Whenever we returned home, she would give me so many kisses and snuggles, as if to say, “Thank you, dear friend.”
If you treat animals as though they have agency and intelligence, they really do learn a lot and have unique personalities.
100%. My old dog got to go on special night time walks with me, without a leash. It started with just hanging out on the front porch, where she proved she wouldn’t chase anything or anyone. Then we moved onto walking around the front yard, with her continuing to follow directions and return to me whenever I called her back.
Eventually it turned into full-on walks where she had learned to stop still in her tracks whenever headlights appeared down the road. As a result, she got to enjoy really sniffing out the bushes and posts around the neighborhood without any pressure to hurry along. I know it meant a lot to her. Whenever we returned home, she would give me so many kisses and snuggles, as if to say, “Thank you, dear friend.”