[solosmoke]

The thing about dogs is, though, that when they're smart enough to know better and still do the wrong thing, they're thinking that they have the alpha spot. You CAN change that kind of dog. Some dogs are easier to submit than others, and some never challenge their people. But some do, and it doesn't have to mean staring you in the eye or guarding the couch. And I know it's easier for someone on a farm to just shoot a dog like that, but you don't really have to. It isn't the only option. Not to mention, it's a waste when there actually is a way to fix it. If you have had to shoot more than one, chances are it isn't the dog. It isn't being condescending to change the dog. They are amazingly adaptable, and with a little knowledge, I would bet the dog your dad shot would have come around nicely. Then again, maybe it was a right bastard.

I am not trying to go all doe-eyed and say that any dog can be helped, and I certainly don't think of them the same way I do people...(there are quite a few people I know that I could shoot without remorse and the world would be better for it)but that is the point. They ARE dogs, and even if they aren't doing what you want them to, there's always a reason for what they do, and believe me, they think it's a great one.

There are subtle nuances in a dog's body movements, and if you work with them and observe it long enough you start to realize that they're speaking a language as real and useful as ours. Most people don't even know their dog thinks he's the boss. Most dogs that assert their dominance do it without anyone catching on. Those are also some of the same dogs attacking people "unprovoked".

I am all for using dogs to their full capacity, and I don't really care for the ankle-biting waste of dog food little rats I see nowadays, but at the same time, I think it's a little extreme to say that all "pet" dogs are missing out. Some dogs never get the hang of hunting or retrieving, even when it's bred into them. Some dogs actually seem to like doing the opposite of what they were bred to do.

I think also that some dogs would rather just snuggle up to their owners and get pet all day rather than run around tangled up in the brush. Call them wusses, but they're here, and they will always be here as long as people want their kind. I personally don't really mind. Dogs are being replaced in some things now by more modern assistants. Some are still working and I think that is great. But people seem to love just having them around, and lots of dogs seem to like it too, regardless of their ancestor's pride.

But whatever the dog is made for, it should know who the alpha is. If it doesn't it will push things as far as you let it. A lot of the time the solution is easy and quick. Much like a gunshot, but without the mess and death.

[Finny]

I would venture to say that with all the money, time, and experience these guys had invested in training their dogs to be good working cowdogs, if there was a quick and easy way to "cure" a disobedient and destructive dog, they would have known it. I would venture to say these guys probably had a whole lot more hands-on real-world experience, generations back, of dealing with animal in training and behavior (not just dogs, either, because they worked with horses and cattle and other critters) than the person who works in a vets office, though they didn't use terms like "alpha spot." And again, please remember that these ranch folks and farmers don't shoot the dogs because they're heartless or just because it's the easiest thing to do. In their world, it's the MORAL thing to do. Because in their world, as in the REAL world, dogs are not on the same level as people. Our society gets into trouble when we forget that truth, and we end up with "pets" that maim and kill innocent kids and strangers.

I did not say that all "pet" dogs are missing out. I did say that to think that the typical ranch dog has a harder, less joyful life than a city pet dog is bunk and shows a poor understanding of the pure rightness of respecting an animal's dignity, and the relationships between men and dogs in a real working environment.