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More Dog Behavior –
Dogs Are Like Kids, They
Need Leadership &
Guidance
Submitted By:
Kelly Marshall
Dogs
have a natural instinct
towards being "pack"
animals. Just like their
ancestors, the wolf,
dogs think in terms of
partnerships and
teamwork when it comes
to some activities.
Similar to the way a
sports team will work
one accord in order to
accomplish the combined
goal of winning, your
dog looks towards you
and the rest of your
family as his "team" and
counts on you all to
help him survive, learn
the rules of the home,
and condition his
behavior.
Just like a winning
team, there are certain
characteristics that
must be adhered to and
provided by every
individual of your
family, including your
pet. Examples of winning
characteristics are
disciplined structure,
operation among everyone
in your dog, and most
important, respect
between your dog's
"pack". Without this,
there would be
pandemonium and very
little way in which your
dog can recognize who is
the boss and leading his
team.
All dogs and pups
need this understanding
of leadership and who is
to play that role in
order to be happy and
feel a sense of
belonging. It doesn’t
matter who is considered
the leader in your
family, this doesn't
matter to your pet, so
long as there is one
then your pet will be
happy and feel a sense
of security.
For those family
members that have more
than one member living
inside the house, your
dog will begin recognize
a specific hierarchy
that develops in time.
For instance, in my
house I have my wife and
my daughter that all
coexist with the family
pet. My dog understands
his role as the bottom
of the leadership chain,
and he is quite happy
with that. He
understands that all of
us play a more dominant
role in the "pack" than
he does. Because there
is structure and he is
trained to know who is
the boss, even though
there are more than one
family member, his sense
of security and
well-being is always
guaranteed.
Most dog behavior
dilemmas stem from lack
of rules and discipline
in the house
At this point you
have learned that all
dogs need to have rules
and boundaries firmly
set in the household in
order for them to be
happy. It is the same
way with kids. Without
mom or dad to set the
rules and enforce those
rules, kids typically
end up with an enormous
amount of personal
behavior problems.
If your dog does not
understand the family as
a team and has no sense
of who is the boss, his
behavior problems can be
a nightmare. It is your
job to start creating a
social order in your
house immediately. You
must learn to
communicate with your
dog by reading his body
language and picking up
on his sense of who's
the boss.
And the activity will
be a lot easier if you
can get all members the
family on one accord.
All members agree with
how your dog should be
treated.
This will help
extremely well so that
your time is not wasted
as you work hard to
create a pack within
your family, which will
help your dog become a
happy, well-trained dog.
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