Person went to see Poor Sam.

Poor Sam is a Plummer Terrier. A Plummer Terrier is a Jack Russell with Long Legs.

I have Long Legs.

Poor Sam had a Big Open Wound on his head.

Poor Sam's Person said it was all Poor Sam's Fault. He had a Fight. He attacked a Big Dog.

So Person went with Poor Sam's Person to the Vet.

The Vet put Five Staples in Poor Sam's Big Open Wound.

Poor Sam was very Brave.

In time, Poor Sam won't want to fight other dogs any more.

Here is MY Wound that I had.

Anyway, recently Person came home smelling Very Scary.

She smelt of WOLF!

Wolf licked her face.

And here is a Wolf eating Sheep Poo.

Person smelt just a little of Sheep Poo too.

Danger in the Night

In the middle of Last Night I heard NOISES OUTSIDE. I heard a Dog Barking as well. Monty the Mont heard Noises too and so did Marmite.

Marmite started with her funny little sound which is like a BARK trapped inside her trying to get out. Then she broke into a loud WOOF. Then I BARKED. Then Monty the Mont BARKED.

Persons used to SHOUT at us if we BARKED in the Night. When Persons SHOUTED while were BARKING it sounded like WA WA WA WA and like they were Joining In.

We knew then that there must be REAL DANGER because Persons were making a lot of EXCITEMENT and NOISE as well.

So then we knew we had to to BARK and BARK even MORE.

But Person has been doing her Dog Listening and she's being an Alpha Wolf. So do you know what happened? We were BARKING in the Middle of the Night and Person got up and she came and THANKED US. Thanked us for BARKING!

We knew then that she had Taken Notice.

Person opened the Door and she went OUTSIDE but without me, or Marmite or Monty the Mont. We watched her through the glass door. She Looked About. She Listened. This is because the Alpha Wolf makes the Decisions in times of Perceived Danger.

Anyway, Person just came back INSIDE without a word. She went back to bed.

We knew then that everything must be Safe and that we didn't need to help her Defend the Pack.

I went back to bed. Monty the Mont went back to bed and Marmite went back to bed. We didn't need to BARK any more.

Long Dog

I'm a Lurcher so I'm a SIGHT Hound. I'm a very good HEARING Hound too. I have just found out that I'm also called a LONG DOG. I am very Looong when I Stretch. I'm also a SKINNY DOG.

Perhaps I'm Skinny because my Person is STARVING me. She picks up my Food Bowl when I walk away from it before I've eaten my Food. I walk away from my Bowl and see if I can get back to it just in time before Person picks it up and takes it away.

I know Person's Games! They all started when she went on that Course on Understanding Dogs.

Person now always Eats Food First herself before putting our Bowls down because she's pretending to be the Alpha Wolf and because Alpha Wolves always Eat Food First. They don't eat Biscuits, though. Alpha Wolves eat Raw Elk Flesh.

But she can't MAKE me Watch her Eating Food First, can she! She Ignores me so I will Ignore her too. Perhaps I might watch Person if she ate Raw Elk Flesh first and not just a Biscuit.

Afterwards I try to tell Person I'm so SKINNY I will STARVE if she doesn't give me my food back, but she doesn't LISTEN to me. And she's supposed to be a Dog Listener now.

Anyway, today Person put a little Milk on my Breakfast and I love Milk. Milk makes Marmite sick. If Person puts Milk on my Breakfast I might just pretend to Play her Games. If she gave me Raw Elk Flesh I would certainly Play her Games.

Breakfast

In the Night my Tummy was RUMBLING and I DREAMED about EATING ELK.

I didn't Mess About this morning.

While Person was doing her Pretend Gesture Eating I thought of the Wolf Pack. They may have been Starving but they still had to WAIT and WATCH while the Alpha Wolves Ate First.

So I ate ALL my breakfast (even though it was only Dry Dog Food and not Warm and Bloody ELK flesh).

Elk

Alpha Wolves always Eat FIRST while all the other Wolves WAIT.

Person is still pretending to be an Alpha Wolf. She Eats a Biscuit before she puts our Bowls down. It's called Gesture Eating.

Person doesn't look at us while she Eats her Biscuit. But we Look at her. We Watch as she takes each SLOW Bite from her Biscuit. She IGNORES us (or she Pretends to). Marmite DROOLS.

This afternoon I thought "I'm not going to play Person's Game this time" so I IGNORED her.

I Sniffed about while Person did Gesture Eating with her Biscuit. I IGNORED her. I Sniffed to see if she had dropped any Bits of Dry Dog Food under the table.

Anyway, Real Wolves don't eat Bits of Dry Dog Food. Certainly not a BISCUIT! Real Alpha Wolves HUNT and KILL animals like Elks and they Eat the Warm and Bloody Flesh. AFTER the Real Alpha Wolves are FULL UP and Fat with Warm and Bloody Elk flesh they let the other Wolves Eat.

At Tea time today when Person put my Bowl down I pretended I was still looking for dropped Dry Dog Food under the table.

Monty the Mont finished all his Tea. Marmite finished her Tea. I did NOT Eat any of my Tea.

So, Person picked up Monty the Mont's Empty Bowl, Marmite's Empty bowl and my FULL Bowl and she took them away. I would have Eaten Elk with Warm and Bloody Flesh.

Last time I played this Game Person gave me my Tea a bit later. By myself. She made a fuss of me. I liked that.

Not this time. She is going to make me WAIT until Breakfast tomorrow.

Oh oh oh oh oh!

Oh oh oh oh oh!

I knew I was right to feel Suspicious when Person went to learn about Dog Listening and being an Alpha Wolf.

I heard Person saying she is going to STOP us from Going On The Sofas. 'By Christmas'.

Mary-Contrary-Person who has Robin and Nellie came to see us yesterday. I was so excited to see her because I know she finds it Very Difficult to IGNORE me like my Person asks her to.

But when I tried to jump up Person put me straight OUTSIDE. When Monty the Mont tried to jump up Person put him straight OUTSIDE. When Marmite tried to jump up Person put Marmite OUTSIDE. She then let us IN again. Very soon we Settled Down on the floor. Marmite Settled Down on the floor first and gave a big SIGH. Then Monty the Mont Settled down and gave a big SIGH. I went to my Bed under Person's Desk and gave a Big SIGH.

Mary-Contrary says she NEVER lets Robin and Nellie go on her Sofa. This is all Mary-Contrary's fault, I think.

Yesterday when it was Very Windy and Very Stormy and Very Muddy I came in and jumped onto the Sofa but for some reason Person pulled me off. Person then Washed and Polished the Sofa.

I wonder HOW Person is going to Stop me from Sleeping on the Sofa. Or Stop Monty the Mont from Sleeping on the Sofa. Or Stop Marmite from Sleeping on the Sofa.

Anyway, we are under her desk just now because it's near to her. It's nice and warm too.

Monty's Getting The Message

I think Monty the Mont is beginning to GET THE MESSAGE in spite of Yesterday.

Yesterday at Person Training Monty the Mont was Not a Relaxed and Happy Dog.

He BARKED at Person when he was doing SIT STAY. He got up and Followed her each time when he should have been doing DOWN STAY with Person Out of Sight.

After that Monty the Mont went On the Defensive with a very little dog called Jack. Person then put Monty the Mont back in the Car.

Person felt Sad. She hoped Monty the Mont now realised she was his Alpha Wolf like Marmite and I do. But he needs MORE TIME and More Dog Listening.

Anyway, something DID happen with Monty the Mont this morning. And it was VERY DIFFERENT.

Always when Person goes out of the room Monty the Mont has to Follow her to the Door. Even if he's fast asleep he quickly Wakes Up to get to the Door before Person leaves the room.

But VERY STRANGE. This morning Person has been in and out of the room LOTS of times and Monty the Mont hasn't Followed her to the Door once! He just stayed Relaxing in his Bed. This has never happened before. (Once, after Magic had died and before Marmite came, Person Practised going IN and OUT of the room every five minutes for a Whole Day so that Monty the Mont would understand that she ALWAYS came back, but he still Followed her to the Door each time and Cried until she came back in).

I have GOT THE MESSAGE that Persons are Alpha Wolves. Marmite has GOT THE MESSAGE. Alpha Wolves are Responsible. Alpha Wolves Look After the Pack. Alpha Wolves make all the Decisions. Alpha Wolves can Come and Go as they please. Alpha Wolves do all the Worrying, not us. We can just Relax and Enjoy Life.

So, Perhaps Monty the Mont is GETTING THE MESSAGE. It will take a little bit longer, that's all.

Bye Bye Harry

I have just come home from Person Training (Dog Training ha ha).

I am sad because I am never going to see Harry-Who's-Very-Clever ever again. He said Goodbye to us for EVER because his Persons are moving house. Here is a picture of Harry.

I was a Very Good Dog at Training. Better than I have ever been. I was in the Top Class and did some new things. Perfectly. There were lots of new Dogs I had never met before. Even when Big Dogs Growled at each other it was OK. Person took no notice and she's my Alpha Wolf, so I took no notice either.

Marmite was a Very Good Dog at Training. Better at Training than she had ever been before too. She even moved Faster than Very Slow!

Don't tell Linsey-Trainer-Person but we had done NO Practice at Home for Three Weeks.

Person says since she started learning Dog Listening and being an Alpha Wolf it has made a Big Difference to me at home and a Big Difference to Marmite at home. It has only made a Little Difference to Monty the Mont - SO FAR.

Monty the Mont was NOT a Relaxed and Happy Dog at Training. He was a Worried Dog. He was Worried that Person might not really be an Alpha Wolf, so he was TESTING her even more than usual. Person gave up and put him out in the car.

Person says Monty the Mont ISN’T READY yet.

All the Dogs and all the Persons are having a Christmas PARTY soon with Linsey-Trainer-Person. Will Monty the Mont have to Stay in the Car? Monty the Mont Barks and Barks if he is left in the car all by himself. Monty the Mont still PANICS when he is left anywhere all by himself.

Anyway, I am Very Good at being a Relaxed and Happy Dog.

My Nose

We had another Visitor yesterday. It was Brian-Person.

My Person is still doing her Dog Listening and pretending she is an Alpha Wolf. I heard her saying to Brian outside the door PLEASE IGNORE THE DOGS until they Settle Down.

But Brian Loves Dogs. He tried to IGNORE us, but when I pushed my nose into his hand he gave me a little private fuss. I didn't Jump Up once! Nor did Monty the Mont and nor did Marmite. Person didn't have to put us OUTSIDE.

Granny-Person was here as well. Even she said we were Very Good Dogs and Very Calm when a Visitor came and Granny-Person Doesn't really Like Dogs. Not even me. She doesn't like my wet cold Nose.

Anyway, my Person loves my wet cold Nose. Don't tell her, but I am GETTING THE MESSAGE. And don't tell her, but I really Quite Like my Persons being Alpha Wolves. So does Monty the Mont and so does Marmite.

Alpha Wolf makes the Decisions

In just one single evening alone Person got up and Opened and Shut the Door for us TWENTY-SEVEN TIMES. She counted. The only Door to OUTSIDE is in the Sitting Room where Persons Sit all the time.

Person is 'Gaining Control of the Door'. Person is Practising being and Alpha Wolf.

Since Person came back from doing Canine Communication and Wolves at Jan Fennell's farm things have been DIFFERENT. Things are also very QUIET. Jan Fennell has Eleven Spaniels and Two Utonagans. Utonagans look just like Wolves but they are not Wild. The dogs don't make a fuss of Persons. They are PEACEFUL Dogs.

In our House it used to happen like this. Marmite would carry on making her funny Grimbling noise from where she was lying until Person couldn't stand it any longer. Person would Open the door to let her OUT and then Close it again. (Person doesn't just leave the door open because it's too cold for her). Then I would need to see what Marmite was doing so I make my sad little noise until Person would get up, Open the door for me, then Close it again. A few minutes later Monty the Mont would think that he had better be OUT with Us so he squeeked to go OUT. Person would get up and Open then Close the door for Monty the Mont.

Then we would all want to come back IN.

Monty the Mont always wants to come back IN first. He needs to make sure that Persons haven't gone away anywhere without him. The I want to come IN a bit later, to keep an eye on Monty the Mont. Marmite likes being outside and Marmite doesn't care much where I am or where Monty the Mont is or even where Persons are, so Marmite comes IN last.

A little while ago Persons had to get a new Handle for the Door because the old one fell off.

This is why Person is Gaining Control of the Door. She says that the Alpha Wolf decides where the pack goes and when. The Alpha Wolf makes the DECISIONS. And Persons are the Alpha Wolves. I am not an Alpha Wolf. Nor is Monty the Mont and certainly not Marmite.

So, Person is now deciding when we go OUT. Person is now deciding when we come back IN again. If one of us goes OUT we all go OUT. If one of us comes IN we all come IN. We have to WAIT. This way Person Opens then Closes the door once instead of three times.

That is the idea anyway.

Unfortunately yesterday afternoon Marmite spoilt it all. Marmite was Not Very Well, just like I Wasn't Very Well last week. So yesterday Marmite asked to go out lots of times. Marmite always makes lots of grimbling noises for a long time until she is let OUT. Person tried IGNORING her.

That was not a good idea. Person hadn't realised that Marmite Wasn't Very Well.

This picture is when I was very little and Marmite and Monty the Mont were looking after me.

Flaming Marmite

I have been That BLOODY PIP again. While Person was doing Tea or Coffee with Sue-Person next door I pulled bits off the baby olive tree so now it has a cage around it. (He-Person calles Marmite That FLAMING MARMITE when she keeps asking to go OUT then IN then OUT then IN making her Grimbling noise to go out and little yaps to come back in. He-Person calls Monty the Mont MONTY. Not Bloody Monty or Flaming Monty. Monty is his favourite, you see).

Person is going on a Course very soon. It is called a Canine Communication Course and is run by someone called Jan Fennell who does DOG LISTENING. It's because I am really a WOLF and I must be UNDERSTOOD better. So must Marmite and so must Monty the Mont. I like the sound of that.

Person will then UNDERSTAND that I don't want to do DOWN sometimes. She will UNDERSTAND that Digging is GOOD.

We have Person Training today. We have been Practising at Home. We have had lots of Treats.

PS. I haven't told you about my Wound for a long time. My hair has nearly grown all around it but there is a SCAR left to see.

PS. Mary-Contrary-Person's Dog called Nellie the Collie who lives with Robin the Golden Labrador is still not very well. She had an Operation. She is a Very Old Dog.