Fight for dominance

Friday night, my kids and their cousins were enjoying some night swimming. Casey wanted to swim too. He’s almost five months old now, and getting big. He just learned how to swim, and being a water dog, wants to be in the pool at all times.

Swimming with the kids, however, is a bit of a problem. Whenever one jumps in, he jumps in after them. As he doggie-paddles around, his sharp claws extend and he often scratches the kids. They have yet to learn how to grab him underneath his belly and hold him. When I do this trick, he relaxes in my arms. He likes this position and even rolls over so I can scratch his belly at the same time, like a big, hairy baby.

So in my effort to control my dog, keep him out of the pool and thus save the children, I tried to coax Casey of the water. He ignored me. I called him sternly, in my deepest I’M SERIOUS NOW! tone, to no avail. Finally, I dragged him out by the back of his neck.

Once out of the pool, he decided to play-bite me. He chews at my ankles like a juicy rawhide and it’s painful. I yell again, No biting, DAMN DOG! Not surprisingly, he ignores me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Maverick and Doc J laughing at me, knowing that the battle of wits, woman vs. canine, has begun.

Now, I’ve tried all the Dog Whisper BS to establishing dominance. I’ve bit Casey’s ear, thumped his rump with a magazine, tried positive reinforcement with a treat….all to no avail. He sees Maverick as the alpha-male and I’m just another litter mate. However, I’m sick of this household position and want to win. So this time, I try to get down on Casey’s level.

I bent down, threw him on his back and stuck my face into his muzzle while holding his jaw closed. NO BITING, I growled. Casey squirmed beneath me, trying to get back to his feet. I hear Maverick and Doc J coaching me. Growl louder. Holder tighter. Don’t give in.

Casey wriggled. I growled as low as my vocal chords will allow, GRRRRR…. I dug my fingers deeper in his muzzle. Casey squirmed harder and I felt like I was losing control. I threw my whole body’s weight on top of him. I’m going to BEAT HIM, damn it. I’m not going to let him win. I laid on top of him for several minutes, until he stopped moving and gave in to my domination.

AH-HA! I won! You stopped struggling, pup, and I am your MASTER! You WILL listen to me! You will OBEY me! You will… Oops.

I must have given an extra inch of room while doing my mental celebration lap. Not sure what happened but the next second, Casey was standing right next to me, while I was on all fours, and we were practically nose to nose. For a very long pause, we looked each other square in the eye. I questioned silently, have I won? Is he going to listen? Did I teach him a lesson of who’s boss? Is he going to stay where he is?

He responded in returned silence by making a mad dash straight back into the pool with a big jump and huge splash ending. Maverick and Doc J. laughed their asses off. I sulked back into the house, knowing that I’d lost again.