Would You Like To Know What The Dog Whisperers Know?

The Basics of Dog Psychology
Dog psychology is learning to understand why a dog behaves and acts in the way that he does. It is truly fascinating to think about how the dog-a descendant of the wolf-has adapted itself to the human social organization.
It is necessary that the dogs of today learn to live and understand that it is us, not them who are the superior breed. Dogs must learn, through training, a sense of trust and bonding with us. In this way they will realize that the two of you have a strong bond and that when he pleases you, he will be rewarded. This doesn’t always have to involve food!
A Wolf Descendant
To understand dogs, you should first understand wolves. They live in the wild in packs and the hierarchy is strictly defined.
The largest and most dominant male in a pack of wolves is called the Alpha Leader. It is expected that the other wolves will dutifully follow and obey the alpha dog and pay him respect.
Dogs have been able to adapt to human society over the years simply because we have many social values that are the same. We have similar social organization and instinctive psychological structures with dogs which make us perfect companions for each other. Wolves share chores within the pack especially when it comes to food. For example, one wolf may scout out good hunting grounds, another may do the actual killing and another may be the one to keep guard. And, just like us humans, the alpha dog gets the high end cuts while the rest make do with leftovers! (Sound familiar?)
Part of the Pack – The Hierarchy System
Think of your family as a wolf pack, this is how your dog will first see you. He will be watching your pack carefully to find out who is the “alpha dog” and try to figure out just where he fits in to this new pack.
He will be watching for clues such as the physical size of each family member as well as the tone of voice that each person speaks with. He will also notice how everyone interacts with one another throughout the day.
You’ll Want To Make Sure That You Are The Leader Of The Pack
When you decide who is going to be the alpha leader, you’ll want to enforce this in front of your dog. The alpha leader will be the one responsible for the majority of your dog’s needs. Like eating, walking, training and exercise. The soon your dog knows who is boss, the less problems you’ll have with training.
But, not only do you have to teach who the alpha dog is, you also have to show him the rest of the hierarchy of the family, including children. He must have no confusion as to where he stands in his new pack, which is at the bottom!
If your dog sees that no hierarchy system is in place, he will create one and put himself in charge. 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 often difficult for dogs to understand that they are below the rank of children. It’s no wonder with their small size, dependency on adults and lack of cohesive thought. This can sometimes lead them to be quite aggressive towards children to the point of the occasional nip or bite.
It will only be through consistent, disciplined dog training that you will help your dog realize his lowly position in life. This, despite the fact that he is spoiled rotten!
Alex is a freelance graphic designer with a passion for writing and dogs. She has a long and personal history with dogs and knows what works and what doesn’t when teaching them. If you enjoyed this article, you might enjoy some of her others; Are You Making Your Dog Overweight? or Does Your Dog Have Separation Anxiety?.

