Chapter 102: Rules

What Zhang Congwen said was not merely to comfort the couple. To deal with a dog of this temperament, one must take the opposite approach. The first step is to refrain from giving it too much attention.

Since the miniature Greyhound craves the mistress’s affection, from now on, the mistress should stop feeding it meals or treats herself; they could even go so far as to separate during walks, letting the master take charge.

Zhang Congwen then began to instruct the two owners on specific training techniques.

First, he asked the mistress to stand in the center of the living room and pretend to yawn, giving the dogs a relaxed signal.

At this moment, the three dogs once again displayed distinct behaviors. The German Shepherd barely reacted to the mistress’s actions, continuing its attempts to ingratiate itself in front of everyone, occasionally glancing around the room as if evaluating it.

Look at this house—what a house.

The miniature Pinscher remained steady, its gaze fixed on the mistress, but it made no move. Only the miniature Greyhound seemed restless, circling incessantly before the mistress, trying every possible way to attract her attention.

It was then that Zhang Congwen had the master step forward. Without hesitation, he was to block the miniature Greyhound from the mistress and drive it away.

At first, the miniature Greyhound didn’t realize what was happening and continued to try to get in front of the mistress to draw her attention. Only after repeated blocking from the master did its excitement begin to wane.

No longer did it resort to all manner of tricks to catch the mistress’s eye; instead, it began to watch its owners’ expressions surreptitiously.

After this step was complete, Zhang Congwen said, “We need to establish a rule for these three dogs: when the owner is interacting closely with one dog, the others must not approach. If they do, you must show them that you’re no longer interested in them.”

“So you can only pet one dog at a time?” the master summarized.

Zhang Congwen nodded. Fearing the mistress might not fully understand, he demonstrated directly.

He squatted down, pretending to pet the very calm German Shepherd. At once, the miniature Greyhound and miniature Pinscher hurried over as if they’d spotted something exciting.

Immediately, Zhang Congwen stopped what he was doing and stood up. “If a second dog approaches, stop right away just as I did. There’s no need for any further action or words—just stand up.”

He went on to explain, “The reason we set this rule is to prevent jealousy among the dogs. This helps them learn to control their emotions and understand moderation. Only in this way can they live together peacefully.”

Having said this, Zhang Congwen strolled a few steps and squatted down again.

This time, neither the German Shepherd nor the miniature Pinscher moved; they stayed obediently in place. Only the miniature Greyhound approached. Yet, because Zhang Congwen had previously rebuffed it, the miniature Greyhound showed no further interest in him—after sniffing his hand, it lay down quietly by the mistress.

“Has your home ever been this peaceful before?” Zhang Congwen asked with a smile.

With the miniature Greyhound lying beside the mistress, all three dogs became calm, making no further moves. Their emotions were stable, and they did not disturb each other—the very result Zhang Congwen wished to see.

He continued, “This is how a multi-dog household should be—each dog relaxed, undisturbed. I know you want to treat them all equally, to give each the same love, but doing that only makes them want more and leads to chaos. Only with rules can there be order.”

Seeing that the couple finally understood, Zhang Congwen said, “That’s enough training for today. But you must keep up today’s lesson consistently. In addition, it would be best if you provided each dog with its own crate, separated by barriers.”

Before he finished, the mistress asked incredulously, “Is that really all it takes?”

The actual training had lasted less than half an hour; the rest of the time, Zhang Congwen had been explaining canine body language. Such a simple method seemed almost too easy.

Zhang Congwen explained, “All I said is that today’s session is over. In a week, I’ll contact you again and come to your home to check on the dogs. Then we’ll proceed with further training.”

After sending the couple off, with time still early, Zhang Congwen received another dog owner.

This dog’s problem was much simpler than the others: it just had no appetite.

After understanding the situation, Zhang Congwen simply instructed the owner to set a fixed time for each meal—half an hour, or even fifteen minutes.

Once the time was up, the food should be removed immediately. No matter how hungry or insistent the dog became afterwards, no more food or treats should be given. Dogs can go a day or two without food and come to no harm.

At the next mealtime, only then should it be fed again.

But the rule remains: whether or not the dog eats, or finishes its food, once time is up, remove the bowl at once.

Just stick to this for a few days, and the dog’s appetite will improve.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, a week had gone by.

At the appointed time, Zhang Congwen returned to the couple’s home.

Seeing him, the couple greeted him with delight.

Once he was seated, Zhang Congwen got right to the point and asked about the three dogs.

The mistress spoke happily: “Since we started using your method and stopped responding to Saddle, Saddle hasn’t bullied Little Suit anymore, nor shown any signs of surveillance. Now all three dogs are very well behaved. It’s just that…”

The master continued, “It’s just that Saddle doesn’t seem to like the crate at all—no matter what, she won’t go inside, although the other two are fine. Also, the previous training didn’t help Little Suit; even now, Little Suit still bites her own forelegs. Could it be we misjudged the source of her stress? Maybe it’s not Saddle’s fault? Or has she just not adjusted yet, not come out of her shadow?”

Seeing the couple’s doubtful looks, Zhang Congwen thought for a moment. “Let’s first address the issue of the miniature Greyhound refusing to enter the crate. We’ll discuss the miniature Pinscher’s self-biting problem afterwards.”

He then had the couple demonstrate how they usually tried to get the miniature Greyhound into the crate.

The master picked up the miniature Greyhound, carried her to the crate, and tried to force her inside.

It was as if the crate door was protected by some invisible barrier—the moment the miniature Greyhound touched it, she began to struggle desperately, refusing to go in no matter what.

Witnessing this distressing scene, Zhang Congwen said, “From now on, except during crate training, do not give this dog any treats. If you want to give her a treat, she can only have it inside the crate. The goal is to make her like the crate and understand that only in the crate can she receive rewards—because only there is her own territory.”