Respect of puppies with older dogs

If you have at home a big Cimarron Uruguayo family of 9 dogs from 3 generations, you can learn so much about this wonderful breed. You can notice that the puppies respect the older dogs since the first moment regardless how big alpha puppies they are. They can be bandits within the given litter. They can behave cheeky to their own mother or being the big boss in the litter.

But when they meet an older cimarron from their family, they somehow know, they are no more the cheeky puppies of their own mothers or big bosses. These puppies understand at once, they are the LAST ones in the hierarchy. They are those, who will have to stay down. They are those, who cannot even mourn, they cannot fight or defeat an older dog, they cannot even try it, as they are not allowed to break this stable hierarchy!

Respect might be in their genes

It is not a person, who teaches this to a puppy. This is something that is encoded into its own genes. I am happy to have cimarrons, who could also today survive in the mountains without the help of any man. I am sure the original wild dogs who were the ancestors of our beloved breed had to co-operate very well within the pack and thus the respect was crucial factor in survival. Only if the crazy young dog respected the wise old ones, they could survive in times when people wanted to kill them all.

In spite of the fact the history of Cimarrons is still unclear, we can easily deduct many things from the behavior of their offspring. Here the older dogs teach the younger ones. Mothers and fathers teach their puppies to fight, to find food, to recognize the herbs, which are healthy and those which cannot be consumed. Older dogs teach the younger ones for everything so once they will be able to pass this knowledge to the next generations, too.

Hierarchy of a dog family

During the years, except for one litter, all alpha puppies were kept at home, which could have led to huge problems within the pack, if they did not respect those, who were at home longer or on the top of the hierarchies. There are several hierarchies in a group of 10 dogs as well as a lonely “wolf” being outside of all groups but still on the TOP! Of course, there is also one who is the boss over all (except for the one – her son – who was chosen by herself as the boss).

Hierarchy of our first dogs

If you thought the big boss of the family was a male, you were wrong. The first alpha was Connie – one of my first two females – one of the sisters from the same litter. Later 2 new cimarrons came to us – Tinu and Misia Maura De Aqueronte, Misia Muara was the alpha between them. The psychical power of 2 sisters soon persuaded Misia Maura that Connie will stay the alpha, as she has the support of her own sister. There was no fight, no aggression! Once Missia Maura just stood over Connie, when Cora came there and supported her sister by standing over Maura, who had to realize, she is no more the alpha. She soon had to recognize also the fact that HER pair Tinu would be sooner the “husband” of Connie and Cora. This decision also helped to stabilize the hierarchy in the whole pack.

Alpha female choosing her son as boss

Having first litter with the alpha female (Connie) was something, I considered as really important. She gave birth to a litter. Her first born puppy – Anakin was chosen by her as the alpha very soon. Anakin was the only puppy, who was allowed to sleep on her neck – close to her head. At the same time, Anakin was still blind and deaf when he was opening his mouth in my hands in from of Connie, who sharply hit him. This was repeated days later too. She behaved like this only with this puppy.

I would like to thank to a dear Uruguayan breeder and friend. He explained to me, that I did not witness the aggression of a mother with her puppy, but the moment when the mother had chosen her alpha puppy. He explained to me that she would teach this puppy the other way as the rest of the litter. She would be much more strict with him as he would be trained to be the ONE who would be able to protect his own family and search for food for all of them if she were no more alive. Connie knew me very well, she could not had chosen me any better dog! That is why this “lazy girl” can do whatever she wants. She chose me the best dog – Anakin.

My destiny puppy

By that time I could not know, he would once become so wonderful. I could not know his hereditary ability would be just like real miracle. His puppies just looks like his own clones! The character of his puppies was so strongly inherited from him or his mother Connie. The working ability of his puppies was just extraordinary. Clever father produced even more clever puppies. And in this extraordinary litter, there was my destiny puppy – Duncan. The puppy looked like he had me imprinted as his owner. He did everything to stay at home. And I listened to him.

Duncan´s respect toward his grandma

Keeping own puppies at home gives me the opportunity to see real miracles. Mothers teaching their puppies and also fathers teaching their sons. Duncan has been the bandit since the beginning but at the same time, he never questioned the leadership.

He understood since the first moment – his father is the big boss. When he first met his grandmother, he knew immediately she is the strongest dog he had ever met. The strength was not in the anatomy but in the head. The way how Connie looked at him and her body language made it clear for him that she is on the same level as his father. While he dares to be cheeky with his father, he does not dare to be rude with Connie – his grandma.

Four females guarding

I love this breed more and more each day. Each day I can see “impossible” things done by my dogs. I know the destiny wanted me to choose them forever. Years ago I was told, keeping females together is pretty dangerous… 4 females (two pair of sisters) are guarding here together, they are eating and sleeping together… Others warned me not to keep males together. I do! Males are outside together, they are playing together, guarding and no one wants to kill the other!!! As if they knew it would hurt me. They all behave very nice together. I really appreciate I can have so fantastic dogs.