How did Old Yeller tame spot the heifer?

Answer 1

According to the book, Old Yeller somehow grabs the heifer by the nose and hangs on until she flips onto the ground.

Answer 2

According to various study guides, Old Yeller tamed Spot the heifer by grabbing on to her nose with his teeth and hanging on until she flipped over onto the ground. This instilled fear in the heifer so that so that she "wouldn't move when he was near."

However, there is quite a bit of fault to this part of the story. If the dog could get near the heifer enough to grab onto her nose until she flipped over, Spot would have to be either a very small heifer or Yeller a very big dog. Either way, even a heifer would first try to stomp on and butt the dog around with her head, and cattle almost always have their nose tucked in when they butt making it difficult even for a dog to get at the nose. If she had horns, it would make it even more challenging for Old Yeller to be able to accomplish such a feat as that described above. In order for Yeller to tame the heifer or even train her to not be so snotty with him, he'd be have to be the good stock dog and go in to nip her heels or stare her down with the kind of stare that a good heeler or header can give to make an animal think twice about heading in their direction.

So, we can see from real life stock dog trials that it is stupid and unsafe, especially for the dog, if any dog tried to grab the nose of a heifer to control her. Not only will the dog get gored, but stomped on too. Also, it is impossible for such a dog to flip a heifer onto her back or side, unless, as said, the dog's really big or the heifer's really small and light, either which is doubtful. For even a bull-dogger, it takes a lot of force, strength and the right kind of leverage to flip a steer or heifer onto their sides or back. With younger calves, it's not that hard, but when you get animals that are over 400 lbs, the challenge increases.

Third thing wrong with the above is the fact that Spot doesn't move when he is near. I am seeing that not as fear, but as defiance, as a challenge for Yeller to "bring it on." In reality, a bovine that won't move when a predator, like a dog, is around, is one that is NOT afraid, but either curious or on the defense/offense, depending on the situation. If Spot really was scared of Yeller, she would be making every and any attempt to run away from him, to get as far away from that dog as possible. Travis and Mama wouldn't have a "stubborn and difficult" heifer on their hands, but a high-tailed, flighty heifer that would corner herself and try desperately to jump, crawl through or bust through the fence she's enclosed in to get away from that dog anytime he comes near her.