Attachment-promoting behaviors

Right now my dog is smarter than my son. At some point I expect this to reverse itself, but not for many months.

Walt, while not the world's smartest dog, has a good vocabulary -- that is, he understands things we say to him. Sometimes I wonder whether his understanding is contextual rather than linguistic, and whether he understands tone of voice rather than actual words. But sometimes he disproves my Clever Hans doubts. For example, he understands that "Close the door" means to jump up and slam the door to the patio. He does that all the time; no big deal. Recently I left the patio door open for him while he was outside, so when he joined me in the bedroom I told him to "Close the door." Instead of heading back down the hall to close the patio door, he jumped up and closed the bedroom door. So he knows what "Close the door" means in more than one context, and he understands that a painted wooden interior door is the same as a glass-and-aluminum-frame exterior door. That's pretty smart.

Both Isaac and Walt are smart in non-verbal ways, however. They've both experts at what the psychologists call "attachment-promoting behaviors" -- behaviors that make you want to love them, to take care of them, and to feed them. That's those big eyes gazing raptly into your own, those gentle nuzzles and snuggles, those tender pats (from paw or little hand), and their clearly-communicated desire to spend all their time by your side. Who could resist?