18 www.petloverscompanion.com • 703.780.4400 Jade/ Morguefile Understanding Pack Behavior in Your Small Dog By Julie Ruggles, Julie’s Pooch Pad We’ve all done it. Referred to our little dogs as our “furry children”. After all, our pets want to be and should be a part of our families. We treat them like babies, dress them, dote on them, and give them endless love and attention. This must be what they want. Unfortunately, dogs can’t tell us differently and don’t come with instruction manuals. So how do we know what they really want? The fact is, our dogs really don’t want to be treated as furry children. They are not humans: they are descendants of wolves. In fact, scientific studies have proven that domestic dogs are 99.9% genetically identical to the gray wolf. Pack instincts, being survival behaviors, are too deeply rooted in the primitive brain to prevent them from passing on. It is obvious that dogs are social animals and want to feel a part of our family “pack”. So, how are their needs different from humans? As pack animals, dogs feel most comfortable in a well-defined social structure where they each know their place in a hierarchy. They express these tendencies with both their human pack and in groups of dogs. Dogs in a human pack must always be subordinate. As a dog owner, it is imperative to establish yourself as the clear Pack Leader. Dogs look to us to define which behaviors are acceptable and which aren’t so they can please us. Being subordinate to their humans allows them to feel protected, accepted and guided. It is up to us to communicate both allowed and unwanted behaviors to them. And, there must be consequences for violating the rules. Each time a member of our pack is allowed
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