At one time, I described my relationship to these two guys, my friend's little pets. I really loved the little kitten, and I only sort of tolerated the dog, and his crazy antics. He basically didn't care what anybody said or thought; his head was simply buzzing with his own thoughts.
But, over the year or two, he's grown on me! I still don't love him or anything. We're just getting to know each other a little better. These days, if I say quietly: Hey, stop barking, he turns and looks at me. It's as if he realizes, oops, I am barking aren't I. Why? I don't remember. I have a feeling that little dogs don't remember the reasons for half the things they do.
Big dogs are different. They have reasons, and even if you ask them to stop, they may stop, but they're still not happy. I don't have any insight into dog psychology; this is all guesswork—and a little observation.
The cutest thing about this pair of animals is that, most of the time, if the dog asks to go out, the cat suddenly decides to go out, too! Occasionally, the cat follows the dog, and then crouches down and just watches his antics. Other times she goes in a completely different direction, sometimes jumping over the fence (which the dog cannot do), and disappearing. And then, half an hour later, they're both at the door, saying they want to come in!
Kay