Rick Raw: Vicious Chihuahuas Corner Cougar in Garage–It’s Not about Size but Dominance

By Rick Grant Commentary rickgrant01@comcast.net www.rickatnight.com

In Riverside County, California, Ana Lee Spray, 23, was dumbfounded when she saw her three toy Chihuahuas snarling and barking just inside her open garage. When she investigated she saw a full grown Cougar cowering in the corner of the garage.

No doubt, the Cougar wandered into the garage to eat the Chihuahuas, but their viciousness and loud taunts scared the big cat. Each Chihuahua weighed no more than 3 pounds, which only proves that dog psychologist, Cesar Millan’s rule that it’s not about size but dominance.

A panicked Spray called police who in turn called in officers from the Department of Fish and Game. The police officers and the Game agents were speechless at this bizarre sight. The Game agents had to shoot three tranquilizer darts into the Cougar to subdue the beast.

But the tiny Chihuahuas refused to stop their attack. Finally, Spray got the pint-sized animals calmed down as the Game officers hauled the sleeping Cougar back to a wild life sanctuary. When the big cat woke up, he probably thought he had a bad dream.

Of course, as master of Pepe, my 11 pound Chihuahua, I can verify that this breed can dominate much larger dogs. And, Pepe, although I’ve trained him to be less vicious, can be unpredictable. Now if someone comes into our apartment, he’s quiet but we never know when he might silently attack, like a submarine. He has latched on to some unexpecting persons’ ankles a few times without making a sound.

Of course, the California incident was funny and made a great weird news story. However, with dogs, they are natural followers, and they need a leader of the pack. In the case of the Cougar, he encountered a situation for which he had no precedent. He was confused. The little monsters scared him into submission.

Since I have three dogs–officially a pack–they look to me as the leader of the pack. They need direction and discipline delivered with calm assertiveness. My Chihuahua will try to dominate the other bigger Basenji female and the smaller Heinz 57 variety female, but I step in and assert dominance.

Ultimately, Pepe looks to me for guidance. But Chihuahuas can be difficult to train or discipline. Those three toy Chihuahuas that cornered the Cougar are a great example of Chihuahuas assuming dominance with extreme prejudice.

In most cases, when dogs go bad, it’s the owners who are to blame for not assuming command of the pack. I reached this conclusion from watching Cesar Millan’s series The Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. He rehabilitates dogs and trains people who do not understand dog psychology.