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Your dog is a social pack animal. However, the way in which
he relates to other dogs, people, and even other animals in his life is
much different than how we humans relate to each other.
The nature of the dog's pack instinct is such that he perceives any other
animal (human, dog, cat, turtle) he comes into regular contact with as
being part of his family, or pack. And how he relates to other pack members
is largely governed by instinct and early socialization.
In any pack of dogs, either wild or domesticated, there exists a social
hierarchy. Within this social hierarchy (similar to a pecking order) there
is an alpha-dog (the pack leader), a beta-dog, and so on and so forth,
with the weakest dog being at the bottom of the pecking order.
The Alpha-dog is dominant to all the other dogs in the pack.
The Beta (second) dog is also dominant to all the other dogs in the pack,
but subordinate/submissive to the Alpha-dog. And of course, the Omega-dog--
the dog at the bottom of the totem pole-- is subordinate to every dog
in the pack and dominant to no one.
Keep in mind, while your dog is happiest when he has an
Alpha-dog to provide him with firm, fair and consistent
Leadership, it is also his instinctive nature to want to better his position
in the pack. In the wild, if the pack leader were to die or become injured,
there needed to be another dog (the Beta-dog) ready to step in
and immediately assume the leadership responsibilities for the survival
of the pack. This is why, especially when training begins, your dog may
test you to see if you are truly worthy of being respected as his pack leader.
Remember, the way in which dogs relate to each other is through dominant
and submissive behavior.
But what constitutes a pack leader and why is it important for dog owners
to know this bit of trivia? Because the easiest way to establish, develop
and promote a proper relationship between you and your dog is to work
in conjunction with your dog's natural drives and instincts. Your dog
instinctively not only wants a pack leader, but needs a pack leader. And
what this means is that for him to be a happy dog, you must provide him
with such leadership. Does this mean you have to adopt another dog which
may be more of a pack leader? No! No! No!. Remember, your dog naturally
relates to you as a pack member, so why not be his "Alpha,"
or pack leader (Adam Katz)?
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How long does it take to housebreak my puppy?
To housebreak any puppy normally takes 2 to 3 weeks. In most cases 14
days will be sufficient. Many people when buying a puppy are of the assumption
that the dog will automatically know to go outside. This is far from true
and there are steps that need to be taken.
Using five easy steps you can teach your puppy to eliminate outdoors,
stop chewing and start the steps to becoming sociably acceptable.
Why won't my dog eat dog food?
As humans we put many human qualities on our animals. We as humans believe
that dogs can do things in spite or get mad at us because of something
we did. The truth is that dogs are very simple and do things only off
of basic needs.
If something is uncomfortable they will not do it and if it is comfortable
they will. In most cases people give their dog's human food because the
dog missed a meal or is nibble ling at their food. After the dog has a
taste of human food, why would they want dog food? They now know if they
do not eat their food they get really good food.
If a dog gets hungry enough they will eat dog food. A dog will not starve
itself but if more than three days go by of the dog not eating one should
contact their vet.
Why won't my dog walk on the leash?
Dogs do not walk on leashes naturally so strapping a leash and collar
to them is very strange. After one attaches the collar and leash to the
dog one starts to pull on the dog so they will walk forward. It is the
dog's natural reaction to fight against the new pressure and react in
a negative way.
You as the owner and pack leader of your dog need to make sure your dog
is accustomed to their leash and collar. To do this one needs to "leash
break" their dog. This is a fairly simple lesson that does not take
long to accomplish.
One should first attach the collar and leash to the dog. Next let the
dog pull the leash around the house while you are using positive words
to get the dog to come to you. After the dog is used to dragging the leash
and you using positive words, pick up the end of the leash and walk with
the dog. Do not put any pressure on the leash but let the dog see you
holding the leash. This should be a very positive experience and there
should be absolutely no correction of any type.
Why does my dog chew on everything?
Puppies chew, it is what they do. Puppies chew to relieve pressure or
pain on their gums while new teeth are coming in. It is much like when
babies start to teeth. Puppies do not know what they should or should
not chew on and it is the owner's job to teach them. Unfortunately puppies
love to chew on wood, it feels good.
When you catch your puppy chewing on something they are not supposed to
you need to tell the puppy NO and then place one of the puppies toys on
its mouth. When you place the toy in the puppies mouth there should be
much praise and positive reinforcement.
Older dogs who chew on things stem from the same issue. When they were
puppies they were never told what they are supposed to chew on and not
chew on. By this time in their life it has become more of a habit rather
than a teething issue. To break this habit one should follow the same
steps as with a puppy.
Why does my dog like some people like some people but dislike others?
The big difference with dogs and humans is that dogs are not as interested
in seeing the objects that surround them, they rather smell them. Smelling
is a way of recognizing the world. The smelling receiver is made up of
a mucous, a labyrinth of innumerable folds that could a surface of 130
m2 compared to the 3 m2 that humans have. The dog has 120 to 220 million
cells next to man's 5 million cells. Its smell is so developed that it
can detect the lightest environmental change. As a matter of fact, the
dog can detect the change of character of other dogs or humans that surround
them, just by detecting the slight increase or decrease of their hormonal
levels and their sweat. This has nothing to do with a sixth sense: the
dog can just detect certain signals that go unnoticed by humans (seefido.com).
Dogs need to be introduced to new people and dogs so they are accustomed
to smelling new things. When dogs are not socialized with other dogs and
people they can grow fearful towards strangers. They become fearful or
sometimes aggressive due to the lack of socialization.
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