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

[Linda Gwizdak]

Makes sense (grin!). I knew about the resource guarding and the dogs doing 
what works.  But I didn't know that they didn't see us as the pack leader.

Linda and Landon
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Katrin Andberg" <katrin at maplewooddog.com>
To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, June 19, 2009 4:05 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Do's and Don't's


> "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
>
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