More Dog Behavior - Dogs Are Like Kids, They Need Leadership

Dogs have a natural instinct towards being "pack" animals. Just like their ancestors, the wolf, dogs think in terms of partnerships and teamwork when it comes to some activities. Similar to the way a sports team will work one accord in order to accomplish the combined goal of winning, your dog looks towards you and the rest of your family as his "team" and counts on you all to help him survive, learn the rules of the home, and condition his behavior.

Just like a winning team, there are certain characteristics that must be adhered to and provided by every individual of your family, including your pet. Examples of winning characteristics are disciplined structure, operation among everyone in your dog, and most important, respect between your dog's "pack". Without this, there would be pandemonium and very little way in which your dog can recognize who is the boss and leading his team.

All dogs and pups need this understanding of leadership and who is to play that role in order to be happy and feel a sense of belonging. It doesn't matter who is considered the leader in your family, this doesn't matter to your pet, so long as there is one then your pet will be happy and feel a sense of security.

For those family members that have more than one member living inside the house, your dog will begin recognize a specific hierarchy that develops in time. For instance, in my house I have my wife and my daughter that all coexist with the family pet. My dog understands his role as the bottom of the leadership chain, and he is quite happy with that. He understands that all of us play a more dominant role in the "pack" than he does. Because there is structure and he is trained to know who is the boss, even though there are more than one family member, his sense of security and well-being is always guaranteed.

Most dog behavior dilemmas stem from lack of rules and discipline in the house

At this point you have learned that all dogs need to have rules and boundaries firmly set in the household in order for them to be happy. It is the same way with kids. Without mom or dad to set the rules and enforce those rules, kids typically end up with an enormous amount of personal behavior problems.

If your dog does not understand the family as a team and has no sense of who is the boss, his behavior problems can be a nightmare. It is your job to start creating a social order in your house immediately. You must learn to communicate with your dog by reading his body language and picking up on his sense of who's the boss.

And the activity will be a lot easier if you can get all members the family on one accord. All members agree with how your dog should be treated. This will help extremely well so that your time is not wasted as you work hard to create a pack within your family, which will help your dog become a happy, well-trained dog.