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A Man and his Dog: When my dog, Norman, was a puppy, my vet (actually his vet) showed me how to “pin” him. She explained to me that in a pack of dogs, pecking order was established by pinning. It starts when each dog is a puppy. The mother would establish her authority and dominance by holding it down with her paw on the puppy’s cheek. When the puppy stopped squirming, he was demonstrating submission. He was admitting, “Okay okay, you’re in charge! I will do what you say.” The vet explained to me that since this was instinctual I could do the same. I could pin Norman thereby establishing my authority and his submission to me. She showed me how and for the next several months on a fairly consistent basis I, and my wife and girls, would pin Norman. It was not hard and required very little force or pressure. I would lay him down on his side, place my palm on his cheek and gently hold his head down. He would squirm for a moment, and then go totally limp declaring his submission. Norman understands that he is number 5 on the totem pole in our family. I rarely pin him now, except sometimes before hunting where it is imperative that he is diligently obedient and submissive to my commands. So just before going into the field, or perhaps just after the decoys have been placed in the water, I will pin him just to remind him once more that I am the man and he will be much happier and have a much more enjoyable hunt if he submits and obeys me.
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