We had a minor incident a few days ago, that once all the contributing factors are realized, is a bit of an amusing incident.
I was outside playing JollyBall with Callie when I heard the sounds of a scuffle from inside the house (all the windows were open to take advantage of the summer-like temperature). As I entered the kitchen, I saw deaf Azule and blind Breeze having a little disagreement. They were making lots of noise with little contact, which is typical. They quickly stopped as I approached and touched Azule while telling Breeze "leave it".
Now, the reason that this is amusing is the way in which deaf Azule and blind Breeze try and communicate with each other. It is common for blind Breeze to growl at deaf Azule. Breeze doesn't curl her lip or give any physical indication (that I can see) of what she is doing. Just the growl.
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| blind Breeze - growls at the deaf dog |
In return, deaf Azule will curl her lip at blind Breeze and not make any sound.
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| deaf Azule - silently curls her lip at the blind dog |
So, with the deaf dog not hearing the growl and the blind dog not seeing the lip curl...we have a lack of communication.
So do the two of them even know they are in a disagreement? What were they growling and lip curling at?
ReplyDeleteOh ya, they know. It's usually because one has something the other one wants such as a bone or antler. Azule is submissive and will often turn her head when Breeze approaches to take something, but of course, Breeze doesn't see that. These little tussles are infrequent and very mild. More a silly thing than anything else!
DeleteAww, it's funny, but I bet their inability to get their point across is annoying to them!
ReplyDeleteI am sure that it is frustrating to them. If I could teach them a different way to communicate, I would!
DeleteWell, sounds like they end up working it out on their own. :)
DeleteHaha, that's funny! At least they don't really "get into it." That's good. Riley is all bark and no bite towards Chloe. They are both possessive over food, so there is usually a scuffle every once in a while. It sounds horrible, but it's usually just them barking and growling at each other.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's the food I normally feed Riley, so it was a great deal! :)
Elyse and Riley
Ah, just like at our house - all form no content! For the pack, they aren't into sharing kibbles in a bowl, but will happily have a popcorn party with no problems at all.
DeleteBOL! All bark and no bite there!
ReplyDeleteYup, that's all. No harm done!
DeleteThat is sorta funny and sad at the same time! Thankfully they have you to intervene and smooth things over! :)
ReplyDeleteI don't usually bother intervening since it usually lasts about 5 - 10 seconds. We haven't had any big fights, everybody gets along really well.
DeleteI'm with Blueberry's Human, it's funny and sad at the same time. I wish there was a way they could each know what the other was thinking/doing/feeling. Still it's great that the altercation didn't get into something deeper.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is funny and sad. I tend to focus on the amusing aspects of things and not get caught up in the "oh, poor disabled dog". People that visit are good for that!
DeleteTrue...they don't know they are disabled. And dogs rarely feel sorry for themselves. (unless their human isn't sharing the yummy noms)
DeleteAnd yet, it all works. Sounds similar to the way I communicate with my fellow humans. Wrigs is much better at communicating than I am. :-)
ReplyDeleteSusan and Wrigs
My first thought is, do you growl or curl you lip?! : ) The pack has figured each other out and now that we have Twiggy the foster, it is interesting watching her watch the blind trio and seemingly try and figure out what is going on there.
DeleteOh, I'm definitely a growler, though I have been known to curl my lip. :-D
DeleteSounds like you do have a communication problem at times. We have those noisy, snapping--no contact fights, too. AND we can see and hear!
ReplyDeleteXXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy
Ha! Maybe the pack is more normal than we thought! I think it is very typical for lots of noise and no contact.
DeleteOh dear...at least they listen to you when you intervene:)
ReplyDeleteWe thought we had commented on this, but apparently not! We love this post - what an interesting observation. But it sounds like they manage to communicate fine, seeing as they know they are in a disagreement, as well as managing to work it out in the end.
ReplyDeleteCocoa and Melon