Good points Pod and I wish I could find out where I read the Mech info! I guess a lot "depends" - ages of pups, all sorts have to be taken into consideration. I'm thinking Mech observed this in more than one litter/circumstance, but again I can't remember

I've noticed this too...

I hope you don't mind me emphasising that in bold, as that is absolutely appalling!!! How can they do this show and speak about all they do, and yet do this to an innocent passer by and dog?

and where are the trainers, after having viewed this, why are they not complaining about it to the production team?

Any decent trainer would refuse to participate any longer unless matters changed, I would think, or am I being harsh here?

What I'd suggest is that the owner try to contact Rob Alleyne or one of the others via their websites and do it that way.
Agree esp. about the language and communication...
You speak so much sense - thankyou!

Yes, I'd love to see something educational and involving basic training, also more training to an advanced level for interest.
More about how to get the right behaviours in the first place, than how to stop the wrong ones.

[QUOTE=Wysiwyg;1299009]What I'd suggest is that the owner try to contact Rob Alleyne or one of the others via their websites and do it that way.

Thank you, a great suggestion: have passed Rob's contact details to the owner. It did happen quite a while ago but I see no harm in her flagging it with him. It may prevent other incidents.

You speak so much sense - thankyou!

That I entirely put down to my teacher of some 10 years. Her name is Taki and she is a pariah dog from Cambodia. Her text-book displays of canine communication are quite unlike any I have seen in a domesticated dog.

Mary

There's this by Mech -


As for high-ranking animals asserting any practical control over subordinates, the nature of the interaction is highly conditional. For example, with large prey such as adult moose (Alces alces), pack members of all ranks (ages) gather around a carcass and feed simultaneously, with no rank privilege apparent (Mech 1966; Haber 1977); however, if the prey is smaller, like a musk ox calf, dominant animals (breeders) may feed first and control when subordinates feed (Mech 1988; National Geographic 1988 ).

Similarly, pups are subordinate to both parents and to older siblings, yet they are fed preferentially by the parents, and even by their older (dominant) siblings (Mech et al. 1999). On the other hand, parents both dominate older offspring and restrict their food intake when food is scarce, feeding pups instead. Thus, the most practical effect of social dominance is to allow the dominant individual the choice of to whom to allot food.

The only other rank privilege I am aware of in natural situations is that high-ranking pups are more assertive in competing for food deliveries by adults and sometimes accompany adults on foraging trips at an earlier age than do subordinates (Haber 1977).

http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/m...tat/domsub.htm