“Nothing Personal…” Natural Discipline and affection

I raise and love Irish Wolfhounds. ‘Hallelujah’, is my smallish 30 inch, 110 lb. nine year old alpha bitch. ‘Liam’, a 37 inch, 172 lbs. four year old male –is content to be at the bottom of the social ladder. The two of them cohabit with ‘Wyspr’, an eight month old, 14 lb. female Border Terror, er, Terrier. This presents an interesting ‘dog pack’. My dogs are my teachers. I’ve learned a lot from them and I’ve taught them a thing or two also.

When she was very young, the hounds ‘put up’ with the small terrier when she would attach her teeth to their tails, their legs or their lips. They tried to pretend she didn’t exist for the first few weeks, but eventually even their patience wore thin with her pesky persistence. This was when her education began in earnest.

Picture an Alpha wolfhound bitch contentedly gnawing on a nice, juicy marrow bone. Along comes a 3 month old pup who simply runs up planning to drag off the bone -equal to her in size. Being a self-respecting matron, Holly stops to lets out a low warning growl as Wyspr approaches, which goes unheeded. The intensity of the growl continues to escalate. Meanwhile this 5 pound mite grovels her way determinedly to the bone, wagging every part of her body as furiously as she can. ‘Surely’, she thought, ‘no one could object to all this tail wagging thievery’?!? Next Holly raises her upper lip as the Border attaches its tiny teeth to tug at the far end of the bone.

Since Wyspr didn’t respect the warnings, Holly suddenly sticks her nose under Wyspr’s belly and flips her away, the terrier rolling side over side for about eight feet. She only held still long enough to plan a different approach, this time crawling her way toward the prize on her belly. When she had finally arrived, she stretched her neck just enough to reach the farthest corner of the bone and began nibbling cautiously. The old wolfhound placed a large paw across the center of the bone and was now content to share with this pariah. as long as she made no further attempt to remove her treasure. Wyspr’s deference earned her a small privilege.

As Wyspr got older, Holly consented to play with her, running, chasing, batting at her carefully with big paws and flipping her across the lawn with her nose. Now at ten months, when Wyspr doesn’t respect the old girl’s wishes to end the play, Holly will take the terrier in her mouth and apply immediate, deliberate pressure at the neck or head just until the pup let out a squeak and then releases her. Wyspr then offers signs of respect –usually groveling or bellying up as she closes her eyes or looks away. After this ‘ritual’ they often wind up snuggling to take a nap together, no hard feelings, and rest up for their next adventure with their relationship securely defined.

What I have learned about discipline from observing my dogs interactions has helped me to train them more effectively. This is some of what Holly has taught me about inhibiting unwanted puppy behaviors.

Pick your battles. Not every infraction is worth a war. Some puppy behavior is, well, puppy behavior! Don’t loose it –remember you are the adult. When a pup does deserve a correction, it must have fast feedback in order for it to associate its behavior with the consequences. The correction must help the puppy clearly understand what lines it may not cross. The correction should just pass the threshold of discomfort. And most importantly, The correction is swift, practical and unemotional.  Neither the behavior nor the subsequent correction should wreck the relationship. It should serve the healthy survival of the pack. It’s nothing personal, just loving discipline.