He does listen to my OH more but then when he says "sit" i do it too He can be scary at time

Dogs do get used to a routine. Our current pup can't wait for us to go out so we give him his kong...he knows we come back, as do our own dogs.

I have some experience of dogs 'remembering ' owners...in my humble opinion, it's largely based on smell, but if you put them back into a fmailiar place they do also remember that.
Example, our first and second pups were both distracted when working because we were down wind of them and they got a whiff of us. They then remembered us when we approached (they could not see us) and we had a fantastic welcome. Our first pup has been back to us, he remembered our dogs...he even remembered immediately where the water was, but his bond was very much with his new owner, which is fantastic. So yes, they 'remember'.

This may seem like a really stupid question but what is a kong

I hear people talking about it and it seems like dogs like them a lot

Here you go Sanchez

http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php...highlight=kong

Its basically a rubber ball which you can fill with treats. The dogs can roll it around and the rubber is really tough so they cannot chew it to bits!

Heres another site

http://www.companyofanimals.co.uk/kong.php

as an aside...it was 18 months after leaving us that the pup returned...

Thanks

Regarding the favouring bit, I can't believe how much affection both of mine give to my o/h when he's out at work all day, and I feed and walk them, and yet they both greet him madly each and every night, and often nuzzle up to him for a cuddle. As for doing anything he tells them though - no way!!!

The remembering theory, I had a telephone call this afternoon from a woman who used to know my rescue dog 5 years ago and she's coming to visit us next week to see how he's doing, so that will be interesting won't it? I will let you know on that one!

i used to have a JRT when i was 14.
i used to finish school at 3:15 but not get home (school bus) untill 4:05. Fly used to wait either at the window or front door, from the time i finished to when i got home! thats nearly an hour! My girl new i wouldnt leave her!!

I think dogs have an amazing sense of time. Anybody who takes their dogs out at the same time each day will testify to that So I reackon if the owner's absence is a routine thing, then it's probably easier for them to get their heads around. But yes, interesting topic, and probably one we may never have a definite answer to...

Actually, I think Bongo demonstrated the other night that she loves Chris and I equally. We were sitting in different rooms, he in the dining room reading some stuff for work, and I in the front room watching tv. The poor pup couldn't decide which room to stay in, so she kept moving from one to the other, lying down for about a minute, then moving next door again. Poor thing didn't know what to make of it.

I find this interesting, I have 2 dogs both re-homed from the same person (I will call her Sue) at different times, 18 mnths apart. Quickly, Potter was a rehome at 5 yrs old after problems post her having a litter and Molly (2 yrs old) was a Potter puppy returned to Sue after a marriage break up. Sue had her for about 4 months before she came to me.
Potter suffered from dreadful SA and still does to a degree, but is OK if she is left with another Red.
Molly does not seem to care that much, but she was left alone for long periods before (at the marriage break up home). She will destroy if left for too long, but I think that is boredom as opposed to anxiety. I must add I dont leave my lot more than 4 hrs alone if I can help it!
My step mother is a very experienced dog breeder/trainer/show woman/ and quarantine kennel manager.
She has told me that dogs have no real sense of time. They are not aware of the 'actual' time they are left. They do pine initially, but then settle into a routine and dont really know whether it is days, weeks or months. And the greeting to the owners is still MAD!!
I havent read up on this myself, it is just what I have been told. My 2 girls have been in kennels a number of times for the week or less and have always been fine, yet they wreck the joint when I go shopping