Merida is exhibiting ‘middle child syndrome’ and it’s making it pretty darned difficult around here for everyone. 🙁
Here’s an example of how the morning went:
- Merida gets too rough with Hugo outside. She’s bristled up and rolling him all over the place. (I finally caught her and brought her in with a choker leash.)
- Merida sticks her head in the food container and grabs a mouthful as I’m filling bowls.
- Merida knocks Dharma down and gobbles her food (and medicine) like she’s not seen food in 10 years.
We’ve been doing our best to give her extra attention since Hugo came along but she’s getting worse instead of better. The shock collar is on the charger and will be her new best friend for awhile. I’ve only had to shock her one time — typically she reins in bad behavior with the first BEEP of the collar.
Just like middle children in human families, middle dogs may experience jealousy or rivalry.
Because there are distinct roles for Dharma (old and mobility challenged) and Hugo (the baby of the family), Merida is obviously struggling to figure out her place in the pack. It’s time to get her rebellious actions in check.
Now you know: Sally Hemings was 16 years old when she gave birth to her first child with 51 year old Thomas Jefferson.