- “…but but but I was playing with the toys.”
Seamus is really patient with Marlowe, but she’s 19 months and he’s 5 years-old, so for the last few days, she’s been pushing him, and testing her position in the pack.
Today, he finally decided that he’d had enough, and in addition to holding her down and reminding her that when he doesn’t want to play, it means he does not want to play, he took her toys away from her and made her wait about an hour before he let her take one of them back.
I let him correct her, because that’s really important for her socialization, and it’s really important to maintain pack status… but I did have to take this picture of her looking at me like it was the most unfair thing in the world that he took her toys away.
Every parent should have such control with their kids. 🙂 great job with the teaching !! Beautiful pups.
Seamus always reminds me of my late dog, Amica. She was a short haired bull mix, black and white, she even had the black dot on top of the head. *sigh* You have great dogs Wil.
My beagle gives me about the same look if she doesn’t get to go in the car with me.
This is why, as much as I would love to have a dog, I’m not sure I could ever live with one again: that soulful gaze they almost all maintain in their arsenal is just irresistibly heartbreaking.
I really dig your appreciation of peck mentality and love of your pets. There are very few blogs I read… Yours is always a treat. Keep it up.
You’re an awesome doggy daddy!
Always love your blogs about your pets especially the pics. And Marlowe’s cute little face & those eyes….ahh, heart melted!
“But, daaaad! Seamus took all my toys! Aren’t you going to do anything?”
Way to go, Seamus!
Today: fascinating insights in the canine pysche! I love reading your blog with all the different things that you happen to write about – I’m still simmering the one about actors doing the roles they’re best suited for. Thank you!
You are way smart to let the pack dynamics work out. It does make for a really nice family. I just added a 16 week old corgi to my pack (her grandmother, 7 yo, her great grandmother 11 yo and her great aunt 12 yo). it’s amazing how much patience the grand dames have with this little furball. Corrections happen and it’s a fabulous thing to see little Lollipop in action as she gets the older ones moving but still finds her place in the world.
I hope you are getting as much joy watching your pack as I do watching mine.
You make me wish there was a blog “like” button that had nothing to do with Facebook. Reading that was a great way to start the day!
Letting the pack dynamic run its course was one of the coolest things I learned when Hubs came into my life and explained it to me. We’ve had as many as five dogs at one time and it’s fascinating to see them find their place in the pack. We’ve never had puppies; all of ours have been adopted or rescued as adults and set in their ways. One actually wandered onto our farm and just decided to stay! We joked that the neighborhood dogs were spreading the word “101 Dalmatians” style about the cool dog family on Orchard Avenue! 😀
I seriously need to kiss that smuggle!!
I love the pack mentality, and that you allow it to happen when it’s needed. I have two dogs, one is a 3 year old shephard mix who seems to have no idea she’s a big dog and occasionally she forgets I’m the boss of the house and will push her limits. It’s not a problem until it’s 3 AM and she’s insisted in going outside (making me think her bladder is going to explode if she doesn’t get to go out) and then refuses to come back in the house. That’s when I have to go outside and hunt her down and remind her that I’m the pack leader. All I do is pin her to the ground until she relaxes (it doesn’t hurt her) and then we’re good for another 6-12 months… she hasn’t done it in a long time now, she’s matured quite a bit in the last year, turning 3 has made quite a difference in her, I was suprised.
I always enjoy your blog, thanks for sharing your life stories with us all!
Nice story.Dogs and cats are beautiful creatures and despite the damage they can do when they want to (and the fact that I’m crazy allergic to them), I can’t imagine my life without either. We’ve rescued a few (mostly cats) so we’ve got quite a full house (and I’ve contributed significantly to GlaxoSmithKline’s bottom line due to the resulting asthma) but I love it.
Our current “doggie status” has us with two sisters. They love stealing each others toys or chew sticks (we always provide two of anything small enough to be hogged by one). We keep the peace so to speak whenever there’s an altercation but generally they figure it out. I think it helps that they’re growing up together so there isn’t that “newness” of a freshly added pack mate. But, every once in a while, one will let the other know when they’ve crossed the line.
What’s funny is when I have to pull the pug out of the backyard full of 3 pits and a rottwieller cause the pug has all of them cowering in the corner of the yard….don’t mess with the princess.