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Posts Tagged ‘ alpha dog ’

Adding a new pet to your household

Sunday, September 6th, 2009

Hey!  Jessie here!  I am sure most of you know this already, but we canine types are highly social animals.  We are born with certain behavioral traits that give credence to our ability to be trained, to our playfulness, and to our ability to easily fit into the human household.  In fact, some of us are so good, we have actually trained our humans how we want them to behave around us!  Life is just so much easier that way!  

As a domestic creature, I prefer living within a social environment.  My human, Miss Karen, is very much a part of my family.  Sometimes, we share our lives with other human creatures and with other pets.  In my case, I happen to share my domicile with a cat, Bo.  In such settings, we need to lay some ground rules and establish who is the leader within this little social group.  Obviously, Miss Karen rules the roost, but when it comes to the four-legged members among our household, I am the Queen!

When you are attempting to integrate a new dog or cat into your household, gently and consistently help your pet to learn what is considered to be acceptable behavior and what is not.  This allows your pet to become more comfortable within his or her surroundings.  When we do not know what to expect, it confuses us and makes us stressed.  We get stressed just as our human counterparts do!  I integrated into Miss Karen’s household quite well.  Bo?  Well, we are working on that darned cat!  Some days, being the Queen is hard work!  Carry on!

Who is the Alpha Dog anyway?

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

My friend has two dogs….a five-year-old 37 pound Wheaten Terrier and a one-year-old 7 pound Yorkie-Poo. While the Wheaten is ever-protective of the household and has always ruled the roost, once this little Yorkie-poo moved in, all bets were off. It is funny to see how a mere 7-pound puupy can boss around a 37-pound dog. My friend is not sure if the Wheaten has mellowed with age or is nervous aruond the little mutt, who bares his teeth and growls whenever the bigger dog even gets near his food bowl. Perhaps the little guy just has a Napoleon complex or something. Nevertheless, the Wheaten carries on and lets the Yorkie-poo call the shots. My guess is, the Wheaten is merely exhibiting his authority by being silent, making observations, and planning for his alpha return!