Soule: Most Dogs Don't Want to Be the Boss

Concord NH

27 July, 2021

11:28 AM

Description

Flora, my 8-month-old rescue pup, knows when there's a stranger outside the house. When a new person walks by the house, she'll bark. If it's someone she knows, she's quiet. I have no idea how she knows, but she does. But I do know how she knows which toys are hers and which are mine; why she carries her pink stuffed pig to me to toss but leaves my slippers alone Ever since she first arrived, I've spent lots of time teaching my furry friend what is mine and what is hers. For instance, a paper that drops to the floor is mine; shoes are mine; and, of course, the chickens are mine. (Wild turkeys are still a work-in-progress.) The stuffed pig and bully stick are hers. I taught her by standing between her and my item or animal, just like a dog-pack leader would. I blocked her with my feet until she accepted my ownership and walked away. Am I power-hungry? No, I'd rather not be pack leader. But that is what makes a happy home for everyone. Every dog instinctively knows a pack needs a leader, and if the human doesn't take the role, the dog will. Read More Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm, in Loudon, N.H., where she raises and sells beef, pork, lamb, eggs and other local products.