But we did not fully understand the answer, either. What Brigitte was communicating, was that this was a dog who would routinely classify things, all his life, as his and not-his. It was a sign of an ultra-powerful drive of territoriality and dominance. When a puppy is three months old, he is ready for puppy training, also known as puppy kindergarten. Most dog owners at this stage know their little dogs pretty well, and many of the shortcomings of their personalities have come into view.
Puppy training is the first time owners present their dogs to the world.
Owners are not dogpeople at this point. They are an odd, insectlike, six-legged race, with the two species constantly jostling and tripping the other. The ambient condition of early owners is bewilderment, their intuitive mode is xenophobia. This hatred of others is both a badge of pride and a token of something darker, the fear that you have made a terrible mistake you are going to have to live with for the next fifteen years. This is the danger stage in dog ownership, when many people conclude that the relationship is not working out.