What exactly do they know?

[TGMarla]

My dogs all know I crossdress. They seem to accept it just fine.

I know we've all talked about that before, but consider this: Do you think they know it's crossdressing? All animals have some sense of the male and the female, and thus the masculine and the feminine. So what exactly do they really think of all this?

Yeah, I know....not a whole lot of frontal lobe on the ol' pets sometimes. They may not be real cognitive. It's not like on TV, where they actually talk to you in a broolyn accent. But they're not stupid either. When I dress, I look a whole lot more like my wife, who they know just fine, than I do when I'm just me. I'm sure that on some level, the dogs know she's female and that I'm male. But here I go, looking for all the world like a female. So again, on some level, they just have to know, or at least sense, that I'm gender bending. Don't they?

[Jeannie]

Don't forget a dogs keen sense of smell. They can probably tell by your smell, even though you have done all of the girly rituals and perfuming. One of my children stayed with us for a while and one day while everyone was gone except me and the dogs, I got all dressed up and came walking out of the room and her dog took one look at me and took off running and barking. The poor thing was scared to death until she figured out it was me then all was forgiven and she then wanted to be petted. I was thinking to myself my goodness I know I am ugly but to scare the dog half to death kinda hurts the feelings a little bit. After I thought about it I started laughing and the wife thought is so funny after I told her about it. My dog was used to it and he just laid there and didn't budge.

Jeannie

[Alice Torn]

Marla, good thread! I used to house and pet sit for someone, with a mastiff, and a little black terrier. When i got all dressed, and walked out of my room, the big mastiff would run away scared every time! The smaller dog, was just somewhat upset. My cats seem to want to be with me, when dressed up, and get into my videos. They don't care how i am presenting. Dogs definitely sense a difference.

[Anna B]

Yes, my cats seem to look at me in a strange way when I'm dressed, as if they're confused. They never say anything though!

Anna x

[Misty G]

My dogs don't mind if i dress until I put on my wig and then the female runs and hides like she does when strangers come.

[LaurenB]

My Chocolate Lab watches and cocks her head while I dress. I talk to her about it because she never judges me. Seems to like whatever outfit I wear. Never a critical word. Always supportive. She is as sweet a dog as ever lived. She treats me the same regardless. And always up for kiss.

\L

[TGMarla]

Yeah......

But......

Do they know we're crossdressing?

Do they know we just swung radically over to the female side of the aisle?

On some level......do they get it?

[Eryn]

The sure way to win the dog's tolerance and acceptance is to give them a dish of food every time you dress!

[Laura Evans]

Marla, I don't think we will ever know the answer to that question. When my dogs first saw me dressed they did not know what to make of it whether to run or stay, now they know it is me and don't react any differently dressed or not.

[VioletJourney]

My dog doesn't treat me any differently when I'm dressed. I don't think animals really understand that things like clothing, hair, and makeup are indicative of gender since those are human cultural things.

[Dealight]

This is so funny, just yesterday I was realizing that my dog treats me just the same dressed or not....I assumed he would not recognize me at first..but it was just as if I was in drab.....I DO think their sense of smell is the key....

Maybe I should switch perfumes.....

[gwenbeth]

My dogs don't seem to notice, but one of my therapist's dogs just loves me when im dressed. Im the only one she let rub her belly

[Lorileah]

Yeah......

But......

Do they know we're crossdressing?

Do they know we just swung radically over to the female side of the aisle?

On some level......do they get it?

the answer is no. You would have to concede that clothing makes a difference to dogs as far as identification. If that was true if you wore a suit they would be just as confused if you dressed in sweats. When we dress we move differently, usually the shoes make more noise. Some people change mannerisms which may send different signals (they are very astute about body language). Do they act different when you are naked?

Clothing has become a visual clue in humans. Dogs don't use that clue much. they base on olfactory more (ever have a dog goose you?). I always hold out my hand at a safe distance, no sudden moves (like tottering on heels), I talk in a soft voice, I then get on their level (think about when your dog gets the most scared....when you put them on the table). your dog barks at the mail carrier because....they go away when it does... Reinforcement. it did its job protecting the realm.

What your dog does know about you? You care for it, you feed it, you are part of it's pack. They will know the opposite if you are mean, only throw food out once in awhile and it has to scrounge, or if you treat it like...a dog

[Diane Smith]

My dog doesn't seem to notice how I'm dressed in any way. His behavior is exactly the same whether I'm naked, in a suit and tie, or wearing heels. And I love him for that!

- Diane

[Schatten Lupus]

Myth Busters just done a test that showed dogs look at a person's appearance, rather than smell them for identification.
I've not noticed any differences, but then again I don't use a wig so my dog won't be seeing too much of a difference. Same for the cats, but the mostly ignore me and everyone else anyways. I do worry though that it might scare my dog when I come home after having FFS.

[Noortje]

My cat used to be pretty freaked out on the few occasions he saw me dressed. (Of course, what I was wearing was pretty dreadful. ) However, he never seemed to mind if I changed clothes in boy mode, or if I got new clothes. Plus, I don't think he was smart enough to understand that men and women wear different clothing. I think he was mostly reacting to the strong emotions _I_ was feeling. He was definitely an expert at that.

[Kate Simmons]

Animals have instinct and can sense who we are. We have instinct as well but most of us do not develop it much.

[Tammy V]

I have three dogs, one is originally my wifes. My wifes dog is a chow and older and she is the only one that sorta treats me different when I am en femme, but then again she notices any change. I wore a suit once for a funeral and she barked at me. My youngest dog is female and she loves Tammy, as soon as I put hose on she is sniffing them and wagging her tail.

[suchacutie]

The dog absolutely knows the difference between the alpha male of the house vs. Tina. My male self is not at all a dog person, but the dog loves Tina!

[SuzanneBender]

My golden cocks his head like the RCA dog while looking at me and giving me a slight doggy smile as if to say, "See thats what you get for fixing me."

[Jilmac]

I live with a couple of tabby cats and they must be able to sense the differences in my attire. When I'm in male mode they will lay across my lap and snuggle up against my chest. When I'm wearing a skirt or dress they will lay along side me so they don't shed cat hair on my pretty clothes. Whoever said animals were dumb?

[BillieJoEllen]

I can be a block away and walking toward my dog and she'll know its me. She can tell the difference in the way my wife and I walk. Shes not fooled by me when I CD. Especially when I'm in the house.

[Frédérique]

I know we've all talked about that before, but consider this: Do you think they know it's crossdressing? All animals have some sense of the male and the female, and thus the masculine and the feminine. So what exactly do they really think of all this?

[SIZE="2"]Needless to say, animals are sentient beings, but I don’t think they think about it at all. I believe pets see us mainly as large creatures able to open cans, so, under the circumstances, I’m sure they don’t care how we’re dressed. I’ve never detected a glimmer of reaction from any of my cats, nor do they seem interested in watching me dress – they go about their collective business and wait for dinnertime. My cats do enjoy exploring my closet – yes, THAT closet, but I have yet to encounter any feline opinion about my secret world, either positive or negative. My cats act surprised at times when I’m naked, which is a fairly common occurrence, but they don’t dwell on issues of propriety…
[/SIZE]

[seanmuscle]

Yes dogs know you are crossdressing BUT they do not think its a sin or something like humans do. If a dog is raised around males and females and sees consistent patterns of clothing between the sexes then they can identify when you are deviating from the norm. An animal will not react when a woman straps on heels but if the cat sees you doing that she will immediately dart her eyes towards you and investigate. She knows you are trying to hide your disguise as a woman.