Leadership In The Dog Pack

Leadership In The Dog Pack
Leadership In The Dog Pack

Video: Leadership In The Dog Pack

Video: Leadership In The Dog Pack
Video: How To Establish Leadership With Your Dog - Professional Dog Training Tips 2024, March
Anonim

When a dog has to live in the same pack with other dogs, it becomes a victim of its natural instincts. It is often difficult for people to understand these instincts, which can lead to relationship problems and even tragedy under an hour.

Instinctively, dogs sharing the same living space with other dogs form a pack with a strict hierarchy. People become, in a sense, part of this pack.

Interestingly, slogans like "I am the owner of this house" often work when a person is trying to control other people, but these slogans do not work with dogs. In a pack, the leader is the one who is capable and willing to protect others, sacrificing his life for this, if necessary.

Two chihuahuas are sitting on a bench, photo photograph of a dog
Two chihuahuas are sitting on a bench, photo photograph of a dog

The most important task of the leader of the pack is to protect the lives of his charges, but a time comes when the leader becomes too old and weak and cannot cope with this task. Thus, it is time to choose a new leader.

Sometimes the younger member of the pack, ready for leadership, respects the older one so much that he cannot openly challenge him, but instead actually performs the tasks of the leader, being his deputy. Often this situation suits both and over time, power automatically passes to the young dog.

The work of the leader of the pack. What are the functions of the leader of the pack? The leader makes sure that other dogs do not cross the boundaries of the territory of his pack. To do this, the leader marks these boundaries with urine and feces, as well as overlapping the marks of other members of his pack, as if masking their smell.

The pack leader also sets the rules for discipline, testing other pack members for obedience, which is especially necessary in crisis situations. Discipline can take the form of “exercise,” where the leader, for example, takes toys from lower-ranking members of the pack. If you give another toy, the leader will also take it away. Another rule of discipline might be to have a subordinate member of the pack bend down to the ground when the leader looks or growls. Observe the "subordinates" carefully, and you will notice that in fact they relax, obeying the leader. It makes them feel safer, more secure, and that this order of things is correct.

In nature, bosses always eat first, so if you don't want to fight for leadership in your house, feed your dogs separately.

If all members of the pack feel safe with their leader and he suits everyone, it is very rare for such a pack to have serious fights. Note that the leader of the pack is not elected or appointed by his masters. If you want to interfere with the process of establishing hierarchy among your dogs, you are likely to make many mistakes, which can lead to serious conflicts. Pack leadership is about survival of the fittest. A pack of dogs is not a democracy, but it is not a monarchy either.

When these rules don't work. Some pairs or groups of dogs are simply not able to choose a leader. People have bred such dog breeds that are very far from natural instincts. Some dogs cannot live in peace with any other dog of the same sex. It is important to research this trait carefully in a new breed of dog that you intend to take into your home that already has other dogs.

Two dogs of the opposite sex can usually peacefully and happily coexist together, since in such a mini-pack the male becomes the main male, and the bitch becomes the main bitch. None of them should be completely subordinate to the other. Usually a dog performs the function of a protector, however, this rule is not always true and depends on the breed and characteristics of a particular dog. In the wild pack, females are usually preoccupied with protecting and raising their puppies while males guard the pack's territory. These same roles are usually typical of heterosexual dogs living as a couple in your home.

If you have two same-sex dogs that you keep together, then be prepared for the fact that one of them will be forced to obey the other. Unless a mutually beneficial solution is reached between the dogs, there will probably be a struggle for leadership, with the result that sometimes even one of the dogs will die.

It is very inhumane and dangerous to keep such dogs together, which, fighting for supremacy, can injure each other or even kill an opponent. In this case, the dogs should be separated until an experienced handler can help find a way out. In some cases, it may even be necessary to find a new home for one of the dogs.

What can help? Training each dog individually is an important step in working towards a safe relationship between dogs. Personalized training will also help you strengthen the bond between you and your dog and make your relationship safer. Every dog needs to spend some time alone with a person, ideally outside the home. Actions can be different, depending on the needs of the dog itself. One might be fine with one-to-one obedience classes, while the other might just be traveling together on business in the owner's car.

It is very important to separate the dogs during feeding and before giving a favorite treat. Neutering also helps pack dogs behave more peacefully. Daily hand grooming and teaching the dog to obey your commands without using a leash will greatly improve the contact between owner and dog, which is especially useful if you need to separate two fighting dogs.

You should not leave two feuding dogs together unattended until you are fully convinced of their ability to interact peacefully. Separating dogs is very helpful if you feel they are overly excited.

A pack of hounds on the hunt, photo photograph of a dog
A pack of hounds on the hunt, photo photograph of a dog

Things to avoid When you bring a new puppy into the house, you can never say with confidence that he will get along with your other dog. In fact, the time to sort out the relationship can be very long, as the puppy will need to grow up and get stronger first. All this can be very traumatic for both dogs.

Beware of jumping to conclusions about which dog is the leader or which one "should" be the leader. People are very often mistaken in the question of which of the dogs is most suitable for the role of leader. In some packs, one dog takes on the role of leader in some situations, and the other in others. Human intervention in this matter can lead to an increase and intensification of fights in the pack.

You should also not leave two fighting dogs together in the hope that they will somehow sort it out with each other. If one of the dogs is injured, take it to another location. Clashes in the flock for primacy should not end in serious injury to its members. If this happens, then something is wrong. In this case, you should seek the advice of an experienced trainer.

A dog that cannot get along with another dog of the same sex is not necessarily a danger to humans. People very often misunderstand a dog's aggression towards another same-sex dog and fear that this dog will become dangerous to them. As a result, this dog is euthanized, although one could simply separate the two warring dogs. Such a dog could make an excellent match with a same-sex dog or live in a house where she would be the only dog. Therefore, it is very important not to apply standards of human behavior to dogs.

Copyright holder portal Zooclub

Recommended: