I had a consultation with this amazing group of dogs yesterday.
It was a wonderful experience to be in the presence of a group of dogs that have learned to co-exist so peacefully within the confines of a normal family home.
We witnessed such beautiful, eloquent, subtle dialogue going on between this truly gentle giants; all designed to resolve any proximity issues and keep the peace. Like some kind of canine pride of lions.
In this picture I was handing out food to get a better idea of the social dynamics of the group and was blown away by how, well, polite these dogs were!
The reason for the consult was to resolve a developing issue between an adolescent male and an older male in his prime, and yes, the adolescent stood out like the proverbial sore thumb with his insecure and slightly clumsy communications amongst this stable, peaceful pack. With some careful supervision and management during the next few months, he will be fine and should come out of the adolescence tunnel a really balanced individual.
I see so many dogs kept apart in kennels or separated in their homes, and then I see a group of dogs like this, so well balanced and calm, that I wonder, on a general level, just how much of this is nurture and how much nature, i.e. how much of this is just breed type / natural adjustment within the group, and how much is careful management.
I was looking for signs of tension or stress in the relationships between the dogs but there honestly wasn't any, even when I got the food out! The adolescent male became a bit anxious and there was a light grumble but the elder male simply calmly lumbered away again as if he was happy to defer to keep the peace. We witnessed this kind of negotiation over and over again in different situations and it was nothing short of an honour to witness.
I've said it before and I'll keep on saying it; the human race could learn a lot from the way animals like these Wolfhounds live in harmony.
It was a wonderful experience to be in the presence of a group of dogs that have learned to co-exist so peacefully within the confines of a normal family home.
We witnessed such beautiful, eloquent, subtle dialogue going on between this truly gentle giants; all designed to resolve any proximity issues and keep the peace. Like some kind of canine pride of lions.
In this picture I was handing out food to get a better idea of the social dynamics of the group and was blown away by how, well, polite these dogs were!
The reason for the consult was to resolve a developing issue between an adolescent male and an older male in his prime, and yes, the adolescent stood out like the proverbial sore thumb with his insecure and slightly clumsy communications amongst this stable, peaceful pack. With some careful supervision and management during the next few months, he will be fine and should come out of the adolescence tunnel a really balanced individual.
I see so many dogs kept apart in kennels or separated in their homes, and then I see a group of dogs like this, so well balanced and calm, that I wonder, on a general level, just how much of this is nurture and how much nature, i.e. how much of this is just breed type / natural adjustment within the group, and how much is careful management.
I was looking for signs of tension or stress in the relationships between the dogs but there honestly wasn't any, even when I got the food out! The adolescent male became a bit anxious and there was a light grumble but the elder male simply calmly lumbered away again as if he was happy to defer to keep the peace. We witnessed this kind of negotiation over and over again in different situations and it was nothing short of an honour to witness.
I've said it before and I'll keep on saying it; the human race could learn a lot from the way animals like these Wolfhounds live in harmony.
