Cat is in the Pack!

Meet Socks, the cat, who proves Cesar's point that all species are "animal" first then species, as animals they can indeed unite as one pack!

When dogs "howl" they do this to stay in touch with the pack and their leader! Howling is not a protest or an "alerting" behaviour like barking.

I go out to feed the small animals in the front garden each morning and, though I am only a few feet away from my pack, they howl...little Jack starts this with his tiny voice and then all the dogs join in!

Now .....the other day Simon was here when they howled to me and he said there was one very strange howl...it came from the room the dogs do not go into - "cats room"! Socks, our cat, was joining in the "pack howl" - sat on his chair head tilted he was copying his pack mates the dogs with a howling noise..."cat style"!

So even though Socks the cat does not share the same home space as the dogs, he is still a pack member according to him! The reason he lives apart is because the Terriers' instinct could not be trusted around this furry animal, but this said he is a very dominant cat who has stood his ground when the dogs pass-by him on a walk! I never leave cat and my dog pack alone unsupervised...prey drive, remember, is one thing we cannot control unless we leaders are very close-by to do so!

Actually, Socks is supposed to be an outdoor cat, but at times he prefers the comfy life in his own private room! When he is out and about he does not fear dogs, he fears the chickens here yet sits happily with the rabbits!

The other day Socks sat in the road and refused to move for a passing car, I had to go move him as he tried to swipe the driver who went over to him! - Here it is "beware of the cat"!

Ava, our Chihuahua puppy, touches noses with Socks the cat! She likes him and he seems to be OK with her as he has not swiped his paw...yet...but I think Ava senses this grumpy cat and moves off quickly after their greeting!

Dogs are Dogs...Cats are Cats...YET all are

ANIMAL FIRST so can be "One Pack"!

Max Saved a Life - Cesar's Way!!!

My story of Max protecting Jack clearly shows how Cesar Millan works to help many dogs into recovery - by using the "inter-species" language called energy - Calm Assertive Energy as we saw Max use in the story!

This is "why" Cesar's Way works - because dog whispering is all about mimicking the dogs themselves, their ways, not human ways, to communicate "stop". Then as dogs live in our domestic world we need to "redirect" - tell/show then what we ant them to do instead and use "positive reinforcement" to reward the wanted behaviour.

Max, a balanced dog of a high rank, can truly be calm assertive and stop an attack without joining in to fight. So we can use this to stop dogs from using behaviour we do not want, while we would never throw a dog we can block dogs in a way they understand - using energy, but only ever calm assertive, body language and vocal tone! Oh and that means "no words" just sound and tone!

OK so we don't throw but we can block. Dogs will block another by standing firm and confident! Calm is the energy needed if we want to try to communicate "we are leader" in "canine" so "stop"!! I can usually stop a dog charging at me and have written about this in some of my earlier blog posts so please do check them out!

There is no doubt in my mind what Max was doing to stop the attack and no doubt of Cesar's ability to teach us how to have a balanced people/dog relationship. If a person begins to shout or hit out when dogs are fighting to try to break it up...well this may work with people (though often adds to the conflict) but never works with dogs! Dogs would see this as "joining in fight" and so escalate the aggression even then to us as mis-directed ....after all we joined in!

Any aggression always consult with a professional...do not try to copy the methods one can see Cesar use on the DW show - this can create serious problems if tried by a non-professional! This warning is here for a reason, as all the dogs and people Cesar helps he has fully assessed first, in-person, to find the best treatment method and solution, so "don't try this at home"!

Way to go Cesar....Max showed us exactly what you mean by calm assertive energy, so I hope you all gain some more insight into energy from me sharing this story with you. If you read Cesar's books you can learn all about his philosophy which is what Cesar's Way is - not the methods alone.

Cesar is an inspiration and he does save lives...I am a great believer in his belief which is "any way that works that does not harm the dogs"!