[nagdu] Do's and Don't's

[Katrin Andberg]

"In dog society, the 

dominant dog gets the best food and choice of best sleeping place."

 

Actually that is very much not true, in dog society, studies and research
has shown dog packs are scavengers and the dominant dog generally eats
whatever he or she can find, same as all the other dogs, but when it comes
to family hierarchy (such as in a wolf pack) the dominant animal takes the
1st bite then eats last, taking the pickings after everyone else in the
family pack has eaten.  

 

That philosophy is what us humans believed was the way it worked since that
is how we tend to work, but in reality it is false.  Plus dogs don't truly
view us in the same 'dominance hierarchy' as they do other dogs.  The whole
dominance idea with human/dog relationships doesn't hold water.  Dogs are
terrific manipulators and trainers and they 'do what works'.  So the dog in
question with growling and guarding the bed was actually resource guarding
the bed and 'doing what worked' ie he growled, he got left alone to sleep on
the bed.  It really had nothing to do with if he viewed his owner as a 'pack
leader' or not.

 

My dogs sleep on the bed and we have no issues on who "owns" the bed.  It is
my bed and I merely allow my dogs to share it.  When I say, get off, they
get off.  Same as I "own" all of their toys, the couch, their food, my food,
the house, etc and merely let the dogs borrow everything, it's still mine in
the end to do what I please with.  I'm not the dominant being in their
'pack' (I have 3 dogs, once you have more than 1 dog they form a pack, they
have their own pack hierarchy among themselves), I am a human who they
reside with to be viewed as a human who has special rules because I am not a
dog, not do I pretend to be one, and they of course know that.

 

Katrin & James