Jack's Definitely The Alpha Dog In Our House

 Jack's Definitely The Alpha Dog In Our House

By

 Stu Cassell

I found Jack at the Humane Society. I was really looking for a golden retriever to replace Shana, our previous dog who had died a few weeks earlier. However, as I passed the kennel where the five month old lab/border collie/greyhound pup resided, he lifted a paw and pointed it toward me. Basically, he was selecting me, not vice versa.

Each morning Jack has trained me to get out of bed and feed him when he shakes his head and jingles his collar tags. Jack must be part rooster, because this generally takes place at the crack of you-must-be-kidding-it's-too-darn-early.

Some mornings he shakes up to five times just to make sure I heard him. In between each shake he jumps on and off the bed to express the urgency of the situation. 

If that fails to get me up, Jack has another method of rousing me. He straddles my body and puts his muzzle near my ear and starts sniffing. Where does he come up with this stuff?  

Finally, when I realize it’s pointless to try to get back to sleep I get up. I stumble around the room in the dark trying to get some clothes on so I can go into the kitchen and feed him. Then of course I must let him out. I can’t just go back to bed because Jack may want to come back in anywhere from one minute to two hours. He will signal his desire to return inside by a single high pitched yelp. If I don’t respond within 30 seconds that yelp will turn into a series of barks, which I am sure my neighbors will not appreciate.  Consequently, I usually respond to that first yelp as fast as I can.

In the course of my training I’ve learned when he’s in the house and he comes up to me and sits right in front of me and just stares at me, he’s telling me I need to let him out. As his well trained human I have learned to be patient during our ball throwing sessions in his yard; to be aware there will be periods of time when he needs to race along the fence as a car goes by, or take a dip in his wading pool. He has instructed me to just wait for him, that he will signal me with his return that he’s ready to resume our ball throwing game. 

I’ve learned to appreciate his thoughtfulness in moistening our bedspread when he’s immersed himself in his wading pool just prior to coming inside. When I feel a dog chin on my leg while I’m eating I am expected to share my lunch or dinner with him. If I see him on his back with one paw in the air it means, “I’m adorable, stop whatever you’re doing and pet my chest and stomach”. 

Lastly, Jack’s taught me how to tell time without looking at a clock. Wake-up is at 5:30 AM, every day, including holidays. Every afternoon at exactly 3:30 PM he begins feverishly pacing and going between my wife and myself; he’s doing a count-down until we feed him at 4:00 pm. We’ve learned to announce the time out loud to him. This lets him know we haven’t made some tragic miscalculation, that we are aware of the exact time, and to assure him that within a half hour we will indeed feed him. All these human tricks he’s taught not only me, but the wife as well. 

Yes, this is Jack’s universe, and he has selected us to share it with him, investing much time in training us how to do that properly. Jack is definitely the alpha dog in our house.