If that sounds like I’m picking on him, it’s only a little bit. I use him as an example of the wretched human race in general, who lack the canine gifts for endless optimism, relishing the present moment and refusing to waste time poring over the past.
Then, of course, there’s our ability to get on famously with our partners — by keeping it simple and putting first things first.
You would think humans would have worked out how to do this, but the sharp rise in premarital counselling tells me they need our help. Relationships Australia and outfits like The Hart Centre and BetterMarriage.com.au are all offering therapy for couples planning to tie the knot.
BetterMarriage says premarital therapy has surged in the past decade. A recent survey by The Knot showed around 30 per cent of couples were seeking it — and 39 per cent of Gen Zs. The Hart Centre says it has 105 therapists qualified to deliver pre-marriage counselling.
There’s a long list of pre-marriage therapists touting their wares, urging couples to set aside six or seven three-hour sessions “at a very reasonable fee” to talk about things like having children, finances, living arrangements, religious beliefs and sex.
BetterMarriage is particularly ambitious, saying its therapy can increase self-awareness, improve communication, enhance problem-solving skills, identify financial expectations, set appropriate boundaries, develop shared goals, create a stronger bond and prepare for long-term success.
If a young couple sorts all this out before they get married, what do they do for the next 50 years?
It goes without saying that we dogs get straight to the point, aided of course by our faculties such as a refined sense of smell. A dog knows exactly when a bitch is in the mood and there’s rarely any misunderstanding. We tend carefully to our pups for five or six weeks before sending them out into the world to fend for themselves. We don’t let them come back and they largely grow up as happy as their parents.
The Boss insists humans have plenty of strengths to make up for their lack of smelling prowess, including discussion and negotiation. He rather rudely points out that hounds like me lack sophistication in that regard but I respond with my favourite yawn — we don’t need it.
Besides, the young people I see in my in my wandering around town have forgotten how to talk anyway. I was outside the coffee shop the other day and nearly all the young people were looking at their phones.
The Boss says it is a common sight in restaurants, too — a couple out for what may have promised to be a romantic dinner scarcely saying a word and reserving smiles for something on a screen.
He says that might be why they need pre-marital therapy — but I reckon they’ve probably already had it and that’s the trouble: there’s nothing more to talk about. Woof!
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