This is three-legged Kasha, our Shepherd pup who arrived a few months ago from Spokane Animal Control after having surgery to remove what was left of her rear leg. Someone had chopped her foot off. She recovered well from her surgery and has really blossomed into a beautiful girl. (Although the ears can be a bit ridiculous!)
She’s also blossomed into a wannabe pack leader. She’s trying to become the alpha at Widget’s House, and her bossy new attitude isn’t going over well with the other dogs. There’s only one alpha or pack leader here, and that’s us — and the other dogs know it. Thus they’re confused about why Kasha is trying to assert herself. So we’re working with Kasha on this. We won’t let her get away with bossy behavior towards the other dogs. We also reinforce her position as a regular member of the pack … for instance, by having her sit and stay along with everyone else before coming through the door, and then making her wait until the others have come in first.
Kasha’s young, she does have a dominant personality (but not aggressive by any means), and she’s trying to figure out where she fits in. So this is all part of her testing the other dogs, and us, to find out. She’s learning that this leadership thing is more complicated than she first thought!
Her best friend has turned out to be Travis, our dog with a fused jaw. Travis is also, like Kasha, a very sweet dog with a dominant personality. We joke that the fused jaw was nature’s way of protecting him from himself. He really thinks he’s a tough guy, despite the fact that he can’t open his mouth and looks like a clown much of the time! So when I see Travis and Kasha roughhousing in the yard together, I like to think they’re practicing their leadership skills on each other.
(Click on photo for larger image.)
Rolling Dog Farm Blog 
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