Chapter Fifty-Six: Kill You

After everyone had taken their seats, the three dogs' behavior shifted once more.

The Shiba Inu, Little Yellow, naturally settled itself among Sun Zimu's family, seemingly at rest, but its constantly twitching ears betrayed its vigilance. The mixed-breed, Big White, on the other hand, acted like a carefree child, circling Zhang Congwen and Song Jiawei in a fawning manner.

Only Snowy Mud remained aloof, showing no sign of affection toward anyone. It stood at a distance, its gaze filled with wariness as it watched everyone present. After some time, it even snorted loudly.

This reaction from Snowy Mud caused Zhang Congwen's brow to furrow slightly.

Zhang Congwen then asked a few more questions about the three dogs, and only then did he learn that Snowy Mud not only bullied the other two dogs but was also extremely possessive over food.

But this possessiveness was unlike the usual kind. When fed, Snowy Mud would not eat, nor would it allow the other two dogs to eat. The moment either of them tried to approach the food, Snowy Mud would attack. Only after both had given up would Snowy Mud eat, yet even then, it wouldn't allow them near the food.

Sun Zimu's family was at a loss and had resorted to sneaking the other two dogs into a separate room to feed them. Unexpectedly, this only made Snowy Mud's guarding behavior worse—even Sun Zimu's family was no longer permitted near the food. Any attempt to approach resulted in an attack.

Because of this, the family had suffered quite a few bites.

In addition, Sun Zimu's family was forbidden from any displays of affection. Every move they made was under Snowy Mud's watchful eye, and any action it disapproved of would be met with aggression.

As a result, Sun Zimu had become the family's most frequent victim of Snowy Mud's bites, followed by his mother, Meng Rou.

What puzzled the family even further was Snowy Mud's sensitivity to certain sounds, such as whistling or hissing noises made through one's teeth.

If it heard such sounds, Snowy Mud would attack the nearest living creature, indiscriminately—dogs and people alike.

At this point, Zhang Congwen thought Snowy Mud had already caused significant problems for the household, but then Meng Rou revealed that she was expecting their second child.

This news was the worst of all. Given Snowy Mud's current behavior—showing no respect even for adults—it was unlikely to treat a newborn, utterly defenseless, with any care. The dog was a ticking time bomb in the family; one careless moment could end with harm to the child, or worse.

Zhang Congwen fell silent for a long time before finally speaking, his tone grave. "Perhaps you should give up on keeping Snowy Mud."

"What?" Sun Zimu's entire family was taken aback, and even Song Jiawei seemed incredulous. He looked at Snowy Mud, still watching them from afar, and asked, "Is the problem really that serious?"

Zhang Congwen nodded. "Very serious."

"Is there really no other way to train it?" Song Jiawei pressed.

After some thought, Zhang Congwen replied, "There is, but it would be incredibly demanding and would require constant, unwavering effort. The slightest lapse, and its problems will resurface. In fact, even with continuous effort, it's impossible to completely retrain this dog. Its current state is ingrained to the bone; all you can do is keep suppressing it."

He went on to explain, "From what I've observed, Snowy Mud already sees itself as the master of this house. Everything here belongs to it, and everyone else ranks below. Its current mentality is like that of an alpha in a pack of strays—every day, it has to assert its dominance over its subordinates."

Song Jiawei, who had learned a bit about dog training from Zhang Congwen, said directly, "By your logic, wouldn't the problem be solved if someone could dominate it?"

But Zhang Congwen shook his head. "It has an intense instinct to bully the weak. I could put it through intensive pressure training and see immediate corrections, but as soon as I leave, its old habits would return. Someone else would have to take my place, constantly maintaining that pressure."

Sun Zhong interjected, "But that's not inconsistent with what Assistant Song just said."

Zhang Congwen nodded but spoke heavily, "The problem is, after I leave, at least one person in your family would have to take my place and keep Snowy Mud under constant high pressure. Any slackening, and it will relapse, possibly even worse than before. And even then, it doesn't help much with the new baby—you'd always have to be on guard against this dog threatening your child. It's a dog with a deep sense of hierarchy; it will seize any opportunity to improve its rank."

After hearing this, Song Jiawei shook his head. "If that's the case, giving up is really the best option. Keeping a dog under these conditions is just too exhausting."

Meng Rou hesitated, then said, "Our jobs are busy, but we could still make time to train the dog."

Zhang Congwen looked at her. He knew Meng Rou was a gentle person, but that very gentleness would only backfire in dealing with Snowy Mud. Even now, she hadn't grasped what he meant by high-intensity training.

After some thought, he decided to be blunt. "I don't think you understand. By high-intensity training, I don't mean volume, but that as the owner, you must show extreme toughness toward Snowy Mud. So tough that if it doesn't obey, if it dares bite you, it must believe you would truly kill it. Not just words—but real action."

"Ah?" The atmosphere around Zhang Congwen as he spoke seemed to radiate a chilling aura, making Meng Rou's heart pound with fear. Even Sun Zhong frowned deeply, feeling uneasy.

Song Jiawei glanced at Zhang Congwen. He knew him well enough to realize he wasn't trying to scare anyone but was deadly serious.

Only now did everyone fully realize the severity of Snowy Mud's problem.

Except for Sun Zimu, who whispered uncomfortably, "Isn't that a bit too cruel?"

He, too, was frightened by Zhang Congwen's words.

Zhang Congwen glanced at Sun Zimu, realizing he hadn't considered everything—such talk wasn't suitable for children. But since the words had been spoken, he couldn't take them back.

He replied seriously, "It is cruel. But I can't guarantee that, once the baby is born, Snowy Mud won't feel exactly the same way."