04/30/2023
And so it begins... Miss Legacy is in heat and I have 3 intact males 🫠🙃 Thank God we train and have respect in this house, or I'd be totally up sh*ts creek without a paddle! I know it's only going to get worse over the next couple of weeks, and I will need to delay Legacy's surgery AGAIN!!! 🤦🏻♀️ But very thankful for the foundation we've built within our pack. It takes work to maintain this many attitudes and coexist peacefully, especially with those German bloodlines sometimes! If you know, you know! 🙈 But, I digress. Reason for this video is to show some body language and instinctual male behavior.
As Buddy approaches Legacy while in heat, he is essentially challenging Cannibal for her. Keep in mind, while he is not the head of this pack necessarily, Cannibal has established his place as top male here...so this is extremely disrespectful. And as you see, Cannibal wasn't about to have it. Please note there is not a raised hair in this photo. No growling. Just very quick, focused, tense, and intentional body language. Cannibal immediately places himself over Buddy as a show of dominance and a sign to back off. Note how Cannibal then pauses, waiting for Buddy to either retreat or accept his challenge. With Legacy in heat, Buddy would have likely chosen wrong here, and Cannibal could have easily hurt him. I immediately ask that Cannibal step down just by saying his name in that tone. Note how he turns to me instead of staying focused on Buddy. That is respect in that moment coming out over instinct. That is a direct reflection of the hours we've spent working together. I then tell Cannibal to get off the bed because while I appreciate his obedience, I do not appreciate this display and I will not have it. If he cannot coexist peacefully despite the instinctual challenges here, he will be removed. This rule of removing my dogs based off body language goes for any situation... dogs, kids, new people, I do not care. If my dog is tense, anxious, or displaying any behavior I do not appreciate or ask for, we deescalate first, and remove second. Those behaviors will likely lead to fight or flight responses and poor decision making, and I know how my Germans will respond.
Again, every technique you use should be dog specific, but body language is universal. Get to know more than obvious signs, because by the time you see raised hair and hear growling, your chance to intervene will have likely passed.
