[Dailydrool] Alpha behavior

[Valerie]

Harley is the alpha of our two. Bo does not seem to mind and we very rarely have so much as a growl from either--maybe once a year they will quarrel. When they do, Harley intends serious bloody discipline and we must intervene immediately. For the most part Harley is a kindly master. He washes Bo's face for him And comes and gets me if Bo is wanting something and grumbling (sometimes I am deliberately turning a deaf ear to Bo since I know that what Bo wants is for me to move up mealtime by a half hour or so--but Harley will not stand for my ignoring Bo for very long.) In return, Bo always leaves a bite of dinner in his bowl for Harley to finish, and always walks behind Bo when we are all out together.

This afternoon I watched Harley exercising his authority over Harriet the feral chicken who lives in our yard. I had seen this dance before, but today it finally dawned on me what it was all about. When Harley goes out into the yard and sees Harriet, he charges her. She is not impressed but scurries about four chicken steps away. Harley stops where Harriet was originally standing and pees in that spot. He might repeat this dance two or three times, each time Harriet moving a chicken length or two and yielding her spot. Then they go about their separate activities, sometimes shoulder to shoulder with no problems. Although Harley speaks dog, and Harriet speaks chicken, they both understand "pecking order". and they still sing duets when Harley is in the lanai and Harriet is under the house .