It's a Dog's Life

We have a pack of dogs living at our place. One female schnauzer, one male pharaoh hound and two female pharaoh hounds. None of the dogs have been desexed, but none of them are going to be used (again) for breeding.

I say (again) because the schnauzer and the older pharaoh hound have both been mothers. If a thousand dollars or so fell into my bank account I'd certainly take the two oldest girls off the the vet to have there breeding ability fixed for good. This hasn't happened, so we'll have to continue on as we are.

Having undesexed bitches in the house with a male dog has some issues that must be dealt with. When a bitch is in season, it's messy. It's hard on the male dog, and it plays havoc with the hierarchy of the pack. We find it works best to keep the girl in season safely confined, and the male dog kept where he won't be too distracted.

It's funny sometimes to watch our pharaoh hound boy pining for the schnauzer, but it's not so funny when the bitches decide to try to sort out the hierarchy with a fight. If the girls have been fine together, we can let the three loose together in the house. If one's in season though, it's not work the risk.

The pharaoh hounds are mother and two of her kids. The boy's from her first litter and the girl's from her second litter. The pharaoh girls are always OK together, and the boy's always OK with the other two pharaoh hounds, unless the girls are in season. As you can imagine, it gets a little bit tricky around our house sometimes.

When one of the girls are in season and are around the time they're ready to be mated, the boy pharaoh goes completely off his food. The pharaoh hound isn't the kind of the dog that tends to be fat anyway, so it's a little bit of a worry for us, having him not eating. Once the girl's 'safe' again, his appetite comes back, fortunately.

Living with more that one dog in your house is extremely interesting, watching how they work things out. It can end up with a trip to the vet though, if we get it wrong. It's possible to let the dogs go, to sort it out themselves, but sometimes it's easier and less painful if the humans take charge.

When a person brings dogs into their life, it becomes their responsibility to look after the dogs as best they can. So, if you want dogs, you have to be the boss, the chef and the mediator. Are you up to it? I hope so, for your sake and for the sake of your dogs.

The Mystery of the Ripped down Washing

The mystery is solved. I was on the phone the other day, looking out of the window, and I saw Missy about to jump at the washing. I loudly growled at her, she came to the back door and I let her in.

I haven't had her outside with washing on the line since, just other dogs out, with Missy in, and the washing is staying right where I put it. So, now I know, I can act accordingly.

The problem with these sorts of things is not being able to get proper proof. Washing on the ground and a dog with a hang dog expression is not proof. Just because the dog may look 'guilty' that is not proof.

Dogs, in my opinion, do not feel guilt. They do not have emotions the same as people do. They are, however, very good at reading human emotions in us. The 'guilty' look a dog gives is usually a response to our anger. They will give that look whenever they see us when we are angry. We just notice the dog more when we think they should be feeling guilty. It is not a guilty dog, it is just a worried dog that looks guilty to us.

I know other people would disagree with me on this, and they often ascribe human emotions to their pet dogs. I don't buy it. I look at the dog's behaviour and see the situation from a dog's point of view. Dogs are our friends, they can feel strongly toward us, but in my opinion, they do not love us any more than they would love any dog member of their pack.

I am human, my dogs are dogs. I am the leader, they know that, but they will continue to act in dog-like ways. Missy pulls down the washing because it is lots of fun for her. I just have to realise that and deal with it, by not letting her loose with the washing. It is as simple as that!

I can't explain to Missy that I don't want her ripping down the washing, because she is a dog, not a person. Dogs are dogs, and I love them for it!

Dogs are All Back to Normal

Back to normal does not necessarily mean it's all good. Around our little piece of the Earth, 'normal' means we don't let La De play with Kharis (Pharaoh Hound), and we don't let Nena (Schnauzer) play with Ananka (PH).

If we did let them play, I think only our vet would be happy, because he'd get more business from us. Girls will be girls and boys will be boys. That's the way it is. In any pack, there is a hierarchy and our dogs are a pack. We are just not willing to pay the cost in heartache, pain and money for the natural result of just letting the dogs sort it all out.

If our dogs were a pack of wild animals, out in Nature, then the young male (La De PH) would have left home, maybe to come back when he'd grown bigger, and he then would have challenged his father Kharis. The oldest girl, Rangler (Sch) may have stayed with the pack as a kind of aunt, or she may have been left behind. She is nearly thirteen years old, which means she could still have three or more years of life left, but out in the wild, who knows?

Ananka, as the most dominant girl may have had a huge fight with Nena and sorted out the question of who was alpha girl for now. But it may have continued simmering below the surface, ready to boil again at the least sign, as it is here now.

It's difficult to know really because having a real job to do in the wild can lead to truces which make it easier for the pack to catch the prey to feed them all. So Ananka and Nena may have ended up being great allies, and both been respectful of the other.

Any younger dogs, especially when they are puppies, are usually treated well by all members of the pack, which is certainly how it works here. All of the dogs love the puppies, but we have to keep watch so that nobody gets hurt. Sometimes adults play too rough, and when the pups are salable and cute and cuddly creatures, we don't want any of them getting hurt.

It's fascinating watching the dogs, seeing how they interact. I just wish they could do it without barking!