RECOGNIZE WHAT YOUR DOG IS TELLING YOU WHEN HE IS BARKING,
WHINING, WHISTLING OR WHIMPERING.
If you've seen some of my previous articles you know we
have littermate Miniature Schnauzers. A sister, Steffi who
started out black but is now morphing into black and silver
and her brother, Stanley who is a breed definitive Salt &
Pepper.
She is the Alpha Dog.
Stanley was originally Alpha up till they were about eight
months old. Then Steffi grew tired of his hassling and beat
up on him. The second time she beat him he got the message.
He's a surfer dude who cares nothing for the state of the
nation so she didn't have much trouble establishing the new
hierarchy.
We've gone through it all between the two pups and they
each sent a different message. Even brothers and sisters
speak a different language.
When he was a pup he whined, whimpered and whistled. When
he wanted something for himself he whined. When he thought
the world was dumping on him he whimpered and made us feel
sorry for him. Although we caught onto that very shortly
and let them both know the guilt trip wouldn't fly.
Whistling was Stanley's most interesting phenomenon. It
became a mark of fear mixed with what I call 'first call'.
As a puppy when he was really confused and frightened he
would whistle in panic and console himself and notify us at
the same time.
As an adult he does not whistle, rarely whines and doesn't
whimper. Occasionally he barks, but he is Omega Dog so he
generally concedes that noise is Steffi's prerogative.
Girl dogs evidently do not whistle; at least Steffi hasn't.
She made little noise until she read Stanley's beads. Now
she does the barking, and when she thinks they need a
change of scenery, she whines...which is a mixture of a
screech and a whine.
Within the time frame of her epiphany over Stanley she
introduced a low, guttural, angry growl. When they are
wrestling and she hits those notes Stanley retires
immediately to a corner of the couch until her voice comes
back to normal.
When Steffi is at our front louvers which open up onto the
front communal space she is protecting us from the
squirrels. I have verbally chastised her about her frenetic
barking, so she has authored this special (for better word)
'utterance'. She sounds a little like a small raptor with a
bone caught in her throat; or maybe a rooster who is
trying to crow and swallow water at the same time.
We have never allowed uncontrolled barking but it is a
continual battle to curb it. The presence of two squirrels
on the front lawn is overpowering and so both have to be
cautioned in that event.
Steffi, being Alpha always sounds the signal requesting
reentry into the house when they have been outside in the
patio. Stanley, as befits his status in the hierarchy sits
patiently in waiting.
I am still trying to figure out if he has us all fooled and
is just letting her do all the doggy work or if he really
is subject to her. He grooms her; she rarely him. He drops
whatever he has in his mouth when she approaches; never
her...so we'll just have to wait...and watch.
----------------------------------------------------
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