I always put down some kibble in a green feeder or kong wobbler and a chew/treat or kong each for my dogs when I go on the school run. I get it all ready and put in down, then they sit and wait while I put my coat and boots on and I release them just before I go out.
I haven't been well this week and was particularly exhausted this afternoon. Got everything ready and set up, put my coat and boots on and went out. It was only when I go to the end of the drive I suddenly realised I hadn't given the dogs their release cue. 
Ran back down the drive, let myself in and there were two very mournful faces staring intently at their food, having not moved an inch! 
Poor boys! I felt so guilty that I nipped out the back and got them an extra chew each, before releasing them and racing up to the school.
How long do you reckon they'd have waited? I doubt they'd have managed the whole 20 minutes - well Lurcherboy wouldn't have lasted that long, as the poor boy was drooling when I got back and if he'd relented, then I reckon his mate would have followed suit. Not 100% sure though, as Pip will not touch his food until he gets the cue if I'm there, as there's been the odd occasion when he's not heard me and Lurcherboy has got stuck in before him, with him still sitting there looking hopeful.
If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.
The doghouse
How long do you think they would have stayed there?
moosemama · 15/04/2016 20:56
I don't know but I'm very impressed they waited till you came back even though it was as soon as you realised
Wow moose that's very impressive
On one of the gazillions of tv programmes about dogs recently there was an experiment in which dogs were asked to leave a treat on the floor
When all the lights were on so the dog could see the owner and the treat, none of the dogs moved, when the light was on the treat but the owners were in darkness, the dogs still stayed put as they realised the owner could still see them, however when all the lights were out 3 out of 4 dogs nabbed the food as they reckoned they could get away with it
Sounds like your two are in the very well-behaved minority 
Well, they may be in the well-behaved minority with that particular situation, but they're no angels.
If you'd seen Lurcherboy sneaking up on the fat pigeons in our garden this morning - then doing one really loud 'WOOF!' at them to make them fly away, you may have an entirely different opinion of him - and he still can't resist nicking baked potato skins of the worktop either. It's the only thing he ever touches on the table or worktop. For some unknown reason, baked spud skins are like doggy crack to him. 
Pip is generally a good lad too, but despite an awful lot of hard work, he is still scared of off-lead dogs, which results in him barking at them and we still can't leave him at home for longer than an hour without him screaming the place down - again, despite hundreds of hours of work around the behaviour. I suspect the universe orchestrated me taking him on, as I've had to learn to drive at the grand old age of 46, after successfully putting it off since I failed my first test aged 21, just so he can go everywhere with me. 
Oh - and he still grabs dh's back jeans pocket whenever he bends over to poo-pick the lawn. He doesn't do it to anyone else, just dh and never out on walks. I think dh must have reinforced it somehow when Pip was a puppy and the only way we can stop him is to have someone else out there with him who can distract and reward Pip as soon dh bends down!
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