The Shepherd’s Dog

A shepherd guarded his flock from wolves. He shouted threats at the tree line: “If you come near, I’ll fight you!” The wolves ignored him. One shepherd against a pack was no threat.

So he got a dog. A large, territorial dog that would attack any wolf instinctively — not because it was ordered to, but because it couldn’t help itself.

The wolves observed the dog. They understood it would attack. Its aggression was not a choice but a nature. The threat was credible because carrying it out required no decision.

The shepherd’s words had been cheap talk. The dog was an automatic enforcement mechanism.