Respect!

We have been to the dog park three times this week. It is good for Mauro and us. He runs his butt off and tires himself out and we get a more docile dog. He also is becoming better socialized. On the first trip, we met a young lady with two little Pugs probably about 20 pounds apiece at the most. The younger one just played with Mauro and put up with his attempts at dominance. The older one, I guess about 6 years old or so, wasn’t about to put up with Mauro’s guff. As soon as Mauro started to throw his weight around, that little guy got right up in his face and told him off. Within a few seconds, the 20 pound Pug was chasing the 75 pound Cane Corso and showing him exactly how to act and where 6 month old dogs fit in the pack compared to a grizzled old veteran. It was funny to watch and a good lesson for Mauro.

Yesterday at the dog park, we met a lady with a Neopolitan Mastiff named Nero. They are cousins to the Cane Corso and about twice the Cane’s size. This one weighed at least 175 pounds and was 5 years old I’d guess. He was a gigantic dog. His coat was the most beautiful gray I have ever seen. Mauro started to play with him and then started jumping on him and being a typical puppy nuisance. The big dog first just turned away. Then he started playing and running with Mauro. That worked for a while until Mauro started getting obnoxious. Then the big guy, who was as gentle as he was big, got tired of Mauro’s shenanigans and started running over Mauro and knocking him down. At one point, he was doing the doggy equivalent of sitting on Mauro. Every time Mauro tried to dominate, the big guy just knocked him on his behind and walked away. Another good lesson. Unfortunately, both dogs, plus a Shepherd puppy that had joined them, hit the Mastiff’s owner from behind as they were playing. They took her down and when she left she was limping. It was a lesson for her also. When over 300 hundred pounds of dog are running around, you don’t turn your back on them.

Today we met some people at the park with three mature Afghans. The oldest one was let loose to run with Mauro. The Mastiff yesterday was gigantic and quite fast and graceful in his movements. But, Mauro had no trouble keeping up with him and was much more agile. The Afghan bounced around a few times, jumping and playing with Mauro. Then they started running. Though Mauro is quite fast and agile, the Afghan left him in the dust. The Afghan could out run him quite easily and could turn on a dime. He was beautiful to watch. The look on Mauro’s face when the Afghan took off was comical. He was used to being able to out run and over power just about any dog he has met. Suddenly, he was faced with a dog that could out maneuver him and, in fact, run circles around him. Another lesson learned. Also today, Mauro’s manners were much improved. He paid the proper respect to the older dog.

The problem with these sessions is that they take a lot of work on our part. Getting there on the subway is not such a problem but all the walking and playing with Mauro tires us out also. The good thing about it is that he is tired when he gets home and does not go looking for mischief (quite as much as usual). That is good because we are both too tired when we get home to do any more.