Chapter Forty-Eight: Misunderstanding

"Of course not," Zhang Congwen shook his head. "If everyone treated Big Ears the way I do, he would either become more and more afraid of humans, or he'd get used to being threatened." As he spoke, the French bulldog once again began licking the sofa.

Zhang Congwen sighed, feeling a touch of pity for the dog. This constant licking wasn't a peculiar hobby, but a sign of anxiety brought on by significant psychological stress. Licking the sofa was simply his way of easing that anxiety.

This French bulldog liked to nip at people’s heels, but his bites were gentle, barely more than a touch. When Zhang Congwen first visited Lin Xiaoru’s home, he noticed that after nipping at someone’s heel, the dog would look up to see their reaction. Only if the person showed no hostility or impatience would he continue to nip.

That was why, when Zhang Congwen merely stamped his foot lightly, the dog shifted his attention to Xie Caizhe and kept chasing after him instead. For the bulldog, this was all just a game, but to humans, it seemed entirely different. Yu Qin had said that whenever they tried to stop the dog from biting their heels, he would redirect his attention to their hands. To humans, they were stopping the dog from biting, but to the bulldog, his humans were simply playing with him.

From a dog’s perspective, there was nothing wrong with his behavior. It was only because he’d never had the chance for proper socialization that he played so roughly and sometimes went too far. Mutual misunderstandings on both sides had led to the dog’s current anxiety.

Zhang Congwen shared his observations with Yu Qin, who looked at her dog with disbelief. "So you mean, all of this is just because he’s playful, and our misunderstandings with him led to this situation?"

"That’s likely the case," Zhang Congwen nodded. "His main issue is that he’s too enthusiastic with people, too forward. He doesn’t know how to keep boundaries, so he often goes overboard in ways that seem excessive to humans. But that’s just my theory—there’s another possibility."

"Another possibility?" Yu Qin blinked, growing anxious. "What is it?"

Zhang Congwen pointed at the bulldog, who was still licking the sofa. "This behavior is a way of coping with anxiety, much like people bite their nails or wring their hands when nervous. It might be that he’s changed owners several times, never had a stable home, and hasn’t had anyone he could rely on. All this has left him unsettled. His excitement around people might be a way to bond through play, to try to settle in here and avoid being abandoned again."

Although Zhang Congwen said this was only a possibility, Yu Qin was more inclined to believe it. She hugged Big Ears in her arms even tighter. The bulldog seemed to sense her mood, let out a soft, spoiled whimper, and burrowed deeper into her embrace.

He was perfectly well-behaved and adorable.

"So if it’s the second possibility, do we still need to train him? Won’t the problem resolve itself once he gets used to the family?" Yu Qin looked at her dog with affection and asked Zhang Congwen.

Zhang Congwen shook his head. "It’s not that simple. Even though Big Ears’ issues mostly come from misunderstandings between you, he’s formed certain habits in the way he interacts with you. Training is still necessary, but his problems aren’t serious and should be easy to correct."

Yu Qin looked at Big Ears and, though reluctant, finally agreed to proceed with the training.

Watching the dog sitting quietly and obediently in Yu Qin’s arms, Zhang Congwen asked, "Is there anything that especially excites him? Or certain things you do that make him want to bite your feet?"

Yu Qin thought for a moment, then left the sofa and picked up a broom from the corner.

The bulldog, seeing Yu Qin with the broom, immediately jumped off the sofa, trotted over, and began sniffing at the broom.

Zhang Congwen nodded for Yu Qin to begin. She took the broom in one hand, the dustpan in the other, and pretended to sweep the floor. The moment the broom moved, the dog became excited, bouncing around it, sometimes crouching with his front legs splayed on the ground.

Yu Qin took a few steps forward, passing the bulldog. He immediately followed, nipping at her ankles.

When she tried to pull her foot away from his mouth, the bulldog growled softly.

Zhang Congwen took the broom from Yu Qin and walked away. At first, the bulldog didn’t notice and kept his eyes on Yu Qin, but as soon as he realized the broom was in Zhang Congwen’s hands, he changed targets and ran toward him.

Now, although Zhang Congwen was pretending to sweep, he kept his eyes fixed on the dog. The bulldog, sensing Zhang’s gaze, didn’t bite his ankle right away. Only after Zhang Congwen had circled the living room with the broom did the dog finally give in to temptation and tried to sneak around behind him for a nip.

Zhang Congwen, watching closely, stopped immediately and fixed the dog with a stern look. “Hmm?” he said.

Warned, the bulldog stopped in place, tilted his head at Zhang Congwen, then quickly looked away, pretending to gaze elsewhere and whining softly in protest. Even so, he kept sneaking glances at Zhang Congwen, gauging his reaction.

After a minute of this standoff, seeing the dog no longer trying to bite his heel, Zhang Congwen resumed sweeping.

But after only a few steps, the bulldog tried to follow again.

Zhang Congwen turned, pointed at him and gave another “Hmm?” The bulldog let out a soft, aggrieved whine and stopped.

This time, however, Zhang Congwen didn’t continue their staring contest, but simply resumed sweeping. The bulldog didn’t try to bite again; instead, he shook himself, watched Zhang Congwen, and let out a puzzled whimper.

His little head was full of big confusion. He didn’t know what this male human wanted, or why he was being treated this way. Since coming to this house, no one had ever handled him so firmly.

He was at a loss as to what to do.

Yu Qin was surprised by her dog’s reaction. They had tried to stop Big Ears before, but never with such immediate effect. Seeing her dog so bewildered, she couldn’t help but laugh.

She had never imagined her mischievous Big Ears would ever look like this.