Dogs can also be masters at getting attention (and food!) - Labradors in particular are gluttons.

Never take one with you when you go to feed the ducks - for a start, they'll try to grab the bread bag, after all, their need for food is far greater than any other creature. When you remove a slice, they'll try to grab it, jumping up if necessary. Once you've thrown it, if it lands on dry land they'll hoover it up - as well as any crumbs (and probably a fair amount of mud as well).

Once at home and it approaches dinnertime, they're masters of strategy. First up comes the stare. I can be quite unnerving seeing your dog out of the corner of your eye with their gaze fixated on you. The next stage is to lie down at / on your feet, so you (a) know they're there, and (b) can't move without disturbing them. If that fails, they'll try getting very loving, perhaps even trying to lie across your lap (very heavy for a 5 stone [70 lb / 32 kg] creature!) Eventually they may decide it's time to exercise their vocal cords, starting off fairly low and quiet, eventually gathering in intensity.

Naturally, if their meal's overdue, you then have to feed them a little at a time, otherwise they'll gulp it down as fast as possible (presumably under the belief that it they don't, you'll nab the remainder after 10 seconds...)

Labradors are gluttons. Even if they've just had the doggy equivalent of a slap-up meal, if there's any food about they'll still be interested. One thing you learn very quickly is never to take them for a walk on a popular route to school near dinnertime. Anything and everything that could possibly pass for food that's been discarded by the teens is likely to get snapped up pronto unless you've both got the dog on a tight leash and are scanning the ground several yards ahead so you can steer them well away from the inevitable discarded sandwich / take-away / chocolate bar.

If you take them to visit a house with another pet (dog or cat), ensure they're either kept away from the kitchen (or wherever the owner's pets eat their meals) or the other pets meals are removed. If the cat's not interested in finishing off their meal, the dog will happily oblige (remember: they can't read, so they don't know the difference between cat food, dog food and human food). Oh, and whenever you're eating, even if you never give the dog scraps of food from the table, they're likely to park themselves within sight of the table or even underneath it, just in case...

But generally speaking, you love them so much you regard all these as endearing qualities of their personality. They're also crafty enough to ensure they're not the only ones getting exercised - pretending they can't find a ball you've thrown outdoors, or can't reach a ball you've rolled under a table indoors; then when you've got within a few feet of the location, they'll suddenly dive for it and grab it, come a bit closer to you, drop it at their feet then grin like mad while wagging their tail - "Aren't I clever?!"

(RIP Bessie 15th April 2000 - 16th April 2012)

>> I went to get bread today and one of them (I suspect Madeline) ate through the bag and nibbled at a few corners. <<

Now, if that happened at my house, I would know that rats got into the bread. We mainly keep all our food put away, where they can't get it. We have an electronic trap, battery operated, kills by electrocution. I've been finding one juvenile rat/day for about a week, but I think the adults are still around.

I thought cats were pure carnivores, unlike dogs that are somewhat omnivorous, but if your cats like bread, that's the way it is. Also, with your cats, I bet you couldn't have a rat problem. We have 4 medium sized dogs, but only one, who's fairly old, has ever killed a rat. They also have a swinging doggie door, so things that are outside can come inside. I hate killing the rats, but I'm afraid they might mess up the house wiring and cause a fire.