Tag Archives: dominance

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: Family Dynamics

Many of our guests at the cats-only boarding facility are “only children” — they are they only pet in the house. Or at least the only cat. But we do have some families that come to stay. Some are actually related by blood; others are family in name and dynamic only. Recently, we had a pair of male cats at the boarding facility. We didn’t have a crowded house, and were able to put the boys in an isolation room together. (When things are crowded, we often have to use the isolation rooms for overflow from the main boarding room.) … Continue reading →

Bed Wars

I’ve written about dominance before — alpha dogs and omega dogs especially. And a few weeks ago, I mentioned how the balance of power in my four-legged family was shifting. For a long time now, we’ve had Bed Wars. Let me set the scene. (A black sky, white stars sparkling. Text scrolls upwards, a la Star Wars.) A long time ago, in a bedroom far, far away, two dogs were at war over a very important piece of territory: the bed. He (or she) who ruled the bed ruled the universe. The bed was a land of great prosperity and … Continue reading →

Who’s The Boss Now?

Dogs are pack animals; pack behavior has been genetically handed down to our domesticated little pups. In the wild, a pack has one alpha male and one alpha female who lead the bunch and a distinct hierarchy for everyone else. A canine can move up or down the ladder, often by fighting the next dog up the line and winning. In the home, things are slightly different. I’ve noticed over the past three years plus with Lally and Moose that the hierarchy is slowly changing. At first, Lally was ultra-submissive; I used to see a lot of omega dog characteristics … Continue reading →

Ignoring Bad Behavior

There are some bad dog behaviors that WILL go away if you ignore them. Really! I’m not saying you stick your fingers in your ears and hum a little tune every time your dog is misbehaving. (You’ll spend a lot of time with your fingers stuffed in your ears that way!) But you can turn an attention-hound into a better citizen by simply ignoring him. Does this sound like your dog? (Okay, this is pretty much a portrait of my Moose!) He barks frequently when he wants your attention. He jumps up, or paws at you. He whines. He nudges … Continue reading →