Basic Dog Pyschology
Posted by GuestW on Jun 2, 2009 in Dogs • No commentsWe are going to explore some of the basics of dog pyschology. Understanding your dog’s pysche can take some time an effort on your part, but will be well worth it when you are engaging in training him.
When we learn to understand why a dog behaves and acts the way that he does , then we are essentially learning dog psychology. Even though the dog is a descendant of the wolf , he has adapted quite well to our human social organization.
Dogs have learned to live with and obey humans through successful training. A dog learns that when he behaves well, he will be rewarded and this is one facet of creating a trusting bond and relationship between you and your dog.
To understand dog psychology we need to understand how wolves live. Wolves live in the wild in packs of two or more. They use a strictly defined dictatorship system of males and females.
The biggest male in the pack is almost always the “alpha leader.”With the utmost respect and almost eagerly the other wolves follow this alpha leader.
Wolves were able to adapt domestically with man thousands of years ago because of the similar social organization and instinctive mental or pyschological structure. Wolves divide duties like feeding:one wolf tracks, one stands guard, and one makes the attack. The alpha leader is always the first to feed and when he is satisfied, he allows the other members of the pack to finish his “leftovers.”
As part of your household your dog views the members of the family as the pack.To figure out who the alpha leader is and exactly how he fits into this new system, your dog will be watching everyone closely.
Who the leader is in the house will depend on their physical size and the tone of their voice; your dog will watch for these clues.The way everyone interacts with one another is another clue your dog will watch for throughout the day.
It is essential to establish yourself (or another responsible adult in your household) as the alpha leader.The sooner this is established, the fewer behavioral problems you will see.
Establishing yourself or someone else as the alpha is not the only understanding that you need to have, but you need to also need to understand that your dog is at the bottom of your family’s heirarchy.
Your dog instinctually will put himself in charge if he sees that there is no heirarchy in place. This is when a lot of dogs can become overly dominant and destructive. It needs to be very obvious to your dog that he is subordinate to everyone-including children.
It is sometimes difficult for a dog to understand that he is lower ranked than children, because of their small size and their dependency on adults. For this reason, dogs can sometimes become very aggressive towards children, and they might even bite on occasion.
Through disciplined training, you can help your dog realize that his position is subordinate to every other family member.To help you in this process you need good quality dog training resources.
Remember, training does take time and effort, but it is definately worth it!
All the best with the process of training your dog.
Darcy Austin is editor in chief of Dog Obedience University, a comprehensive resource on dog obedience training.
Related articles:
