SHOW US YOUR PETS!!!

[Quick Steel]

Good Job, OC.

[zp4ja]

Good on you, OC.

Back to Steve's comment on my previous post, the 2 legged animals are the worst. Some of them. Seems like the norm now versus exception. Back when I was a kid, not so much.

My faith in humanity is waning. Fact as you told it provides me some hope. Commendable!
I am not changing now no matter how narcissistic others become.

Take care.

Jerry

[gino]

Gino, your Dobie buddy is a handsome boy.

Thank Q

[gino]

Jerry

That’s in my game room in basement
Keep the one couch covered in blankets and washed regularly
He knows not to go on the other one in that room or my upstairs living room couches
Plus he’s mostly an inside dog
I only have a 1/2 acre fenced yard in the burbs
That dogs cleaner than most people lmao

[zp4ja]

Gino,
I f you read my comments, this comment is in no way directed toward you. I was articulating my relationship with my dogs based on a previous post with Steve.

I said"

Not my fur babies, children, family. They don't get on my bed, couch, don't eat human food. Boundaries both ways. Don't look down or fault others for how they do it.

You just happen to have posted a picture with your pup on the couch, just prior. Totally unrelated my friend. Was getting deep in my relationship with my pups and how I do it.

That's all

Taje care, Jerry.

[gino]

No worries brother
Just was giving my thoughts
I don’t get upset over things that aren’t important
I meant nothing by my response
We’re good my friend

[zp4ja]

Absolutely Gino. All good Brother. Glad to see you around my friend. Hope to catch up with you soon.

My two and the daily dominance test. The time to realization gets shorter and shorter. He pounded her with sheer strength in the beginning. She grew tired of that. She always wins. Heart versus size, and he definitely has heart and strength.

Picture 4. The doghouse is the overpass, railroad track, line in the sand. Cross at your own risk and/ or peril. Like human interaction. Interesting to observe. Game off, game on.

Jerry

[Sharpnshinyknives]

Jerry, both look like they are having a great time. I will never understand the dominance issues with dogs. Those macho head games are played by my male dogs. The true alpha, if it’s a female, will always dominate in one way or another. It’s interesting watching it play out.

[zp4ja]

Hey Mark. Well said. Very interesting and entertaining to watch.
Elsa is Alpha at 75# to his 150#.

I was gone for 5 nights. Interesting to see the reactions upon my return. No separation anxiety, they love their caretaker in my absence. But there is some (a lot for me) "I missed you" in there somewhere, for all involved parties.

Might frame the last posted picture of Elsa. Awe inspiring. She is sporting some pretty impressive teeth and attitude. Looks possessed and determined to remind Bear of the hierarchy.

Jerry

[Sharpnshinyknives]

Love those pictures Jerry. That first one of Bear could be a framed picture. Impressive bite that Elsa has. Through the years I have noticed that we have had dogs with a lot stronger bite strength than the others. Sage, our Rottweiler and cattle dog mix had an impressive bite strength that could sever bones in one bite. If she got choked and we had to open her mouth to dig something out, I worried every time that she could bit off my hand if she wanted, she never did thankfully.
Nice photos all Jerry, you are truly blessed.

[zp4ja]

I am blessed Brother. Thank you Mark. I tell myself that everyday. I belong to them. Just grateful that they allow me to be part of their lives.

The Bear face photo will get framed as well if I do Elsa's and I likely will.
If you expand the Elsa fang photo, look at the back right upper molar. That's Bear's hair. LOL.

These companions are the most treasured thing in my life. I hope they feel the same way.

Hope you , yours and the pack are well.

Take care, Jerry

[Mumbleypeg]

Big Dog is enjoying the sunshine today. He looks about like the twin to Jerry’s Elsa. Probably bigger though since he’s male. Weighed 135 pounds last time he was at the vet, and not an ounce of fat. Around my wife and family he’s just a big ol’ lover - loves attention. He’s going on 12 years old, which is elderly for a dog his size but he still “patrols” the pasture all night. Not sure he could still run down a coyote, but I’m sure he’d try! They don’t want none of him!

Ken

[dlr110]

Good looking friend there Ken.
Here is Mr. Griffin wanting me to get down in the floor with him. He doesn't understand that
for some of us that's not so easy these days.
_

20250311_193907.jpg (37.9 KiB) Viewed 1230 times

[Quick Steel]

About dominance. We all understand that dogs are pack animals that require a leader (alpha male or female) for the pack to function well. When a dog is part of a human pack one of the humans needs to be accepted and recognized as the leader.

I mention this because of an interesting observation made by Cesar Milan, namely, that humans are the only animal that will follow a weak leader. In the wild the weak leader is overthrown and driven away.

I recommend that you watch a movie simply called "Alpha." The film is an amazing and powerful construction of the canine/human bond. The movie is riveting throughout; but the final 30 seconds were, for me, thrilling. Well worth seeing.

[Mumbleypeg]

About dominance. We all understand that dogs are pack animals that require a leader (alpha male or female) for the pack to function well. When a dog is part of a human pack one of the humans needs to be accepted and recognized as the leader.

I mention this because of an interesting observation made by Cesar Milan, namely, that humans are the only animal that will follow a weak leader. In the wild the weak leader is overthrown and driven away.

I recommend that you watch a movie simply called "Alpha." The film is an amazing and powerful construction of the canine/human bond. The movie is riveting throughout; but the final 30 seconds were, for me, thrilling. Well worth seeing.

Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll have to look for that movie. I recommend a book called Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz, who is an animal behavior psychologist. The book was a best seller, based on the author’s studies of dogs and other animals, and compares the dog’s intelligence and human bonding traits to that of other animals.

Based on my observations the dog “alpha dominance” has a pecking order. In a normal healthy relationship with domestic dogs a human should be at the top, in the alpha position of the pack. If there is more than one dog they will have an alpha within the dogs. In our “pack” my wife and I have three dogs. The two Labrador Retrievers, both females, live in and around our house. The younger of the two is the alpha over the other dog.

However we also have a make Akbash Dog, who spends his time outdoors in the pasture but also comes to the house, especially when there are no livestock in the pasture. He won’t come inside our house, or any outbuilding unless I make him do it, and only then with great reluctance (on his part, not mine ). He then barks incessantly until he is allowed back outside. He is territorially protective of all of us, including humans and cattle, other dogs , cats, chickens, etc. He is THE alpha among animals, and he would like to be alpha over me and my wife if we let him. This is manifested by his occasional attempts to put his paw on us. Not aggressively, but somewhat hesitantly. We won’t allow it, and pet him on his shoulders and back, which to a dog is a pack signal of dominance. Within a pack the dominant dogs will put their paws onto other dogs’ shoulders as a sign of dominance. As humans in addition to petting our dogs on their heads we should reinforce our alpha position by rubbing their shoulders and back.

Ken

[zp4ja]

Thanks Garry.
You are absolutely correct.
I am Alpha but obviously there is canine pecking order, Alpha canine below Alpha human is integral part of the equation. One may call it Beta,, (Alpha canine behind human Alpha). We all know the pecking order with probes/ tests along the way. Just how I do it. To each his own.
If one of my dogs was Alpha in the human/ canine group.
If I deviated from that, I would be overthrown as you stated, based on sheer size and strong will. Pandemonium and mayhem follws.They always test, in line with the pecking order hierarchy. Reaffirmed/ reminded as needed to maintain hierarchy. They are not fearful of me, they respect me, and vice versa. Disappointing me is their worst failure in there minds and it happens rarely.

If Ceaser Milan didn't believe that, he wouldn't have a show. That's why they call to be on the show. LOL The humans on the show are not the dominant Alpha of the human/ canine pack.

We are in full agreement my friend. Take care. I hope you and your are well.

My 2 cents.

Off to spend time with my pack. Jerry

[Quick Steel]

[Mumbleypeg]

At our place we feed table scraps to the animals. Dogs and chickens get most of it, usually separated by what we think they will eat. Sometimes things slip by or get into the wrong place. This was Big Dog’s food bowl after he ate this evening.

Ken

[Boji]

Put some ranch dressing on it. I’ve had 2 dogs that would eat anything with ranch.

[Mumbleypeg]

That day we all dread has come again for us. We had to put down our old Lab, Purdey. She had something called mast cell cancer, which is a type of skin cancer in dogs that causes multiple tumors. She would have been 14 years old in July.

Here’s a few pictures of her from happier days. She loved the water. We’ll miss her but not forget the good times.

Ken

[Steve Warden]

Beautiful pup, Ken.
So sorry for your loss.

[LKSKNIVES]

That day we all dread has come again for us. We had to put down our old Lab, Purdey. She had something called mast cell cancer, which is a type of skin cancer in dogs that causes multiple tumors. She would have been 14 years old in July.

Here’s a few pictures of her from happier days. She loved the water. We’ll miss her but not forget the good times.

Ken

Ken
So sorry for the loss of your four legged friend. Never gets easier.
Steve

[treefarmer]

Ken,
We've got a bucket full of good time memories at our camp from happenings like you posted this afternoon.
Ken, I remembered that you posted an excerpt from an article by Doug Larsen that read:
"We enter into a difficult contract when we pick up our new puppy. We know we are signing up to get our hearts broken in 10, or if we are lucky, perhaps 15 years."
That says it all.
Sorry for your loss.
Treefarmer

[Mumbleypeg]

Thanks guys. It’s hard but we still have our other Lab, Mazie, and Big Dog (the Akbash) to keep us busy. I’m getting too old to train another pup. Or for them to train me!

Ken

[Sharpnshinyknives]

That day we all dread has come again for us. We had to put down our old Lab, Purdey. She had something called mast cell cancer, which is a type of skin cancer in dogs that causes multiple tumors. She would have been 14 years old in July.

Here’s a few pictures of her from happier days. She loved the water. We’ll miss her but not forget the good times.

Ken

This news is sad to read. We grieve for a lost pet like we grieve for people. The bond with a dog is a special bond and I’m sure you will miss her. Lots of us here have shared that sadness and we share it with you now.