What is Leadership as a Dog Owner?

Imagine being shipwrecked on a desert island.  Until rescuers come to help, we somehow have to survive on the island on our own.  If you were in such a situation, what kind of person would you follow in order to stay alive?  Probably, no one would feel good about following someone who is nervous, upset or goes into intense emotional ups and downs.  Likewise, someone who acts as a loner or behaves selfishly would lot get much cooperation from others.  No matter what crisis they need to overcome, I think most people would agree that they would seek a leader with tremendous courage who possess enormous physical energy to stay alive and radiates a well-balanced mental state to make the right decisions and come up with good ideas that might help everyone survive.  Do you agree?

Guess what?  This is the characteristic your dog is looking for in his/her leader.

A couple of important points to remember about dogs: 

 1) dogs are pack animals
 2) dogs live in a hierarchical society

When a dog becomes part of a pack, s/he tries to find his/her position in it.  If a great pack leader is already there, the dog will show submission to its leader.  If s/he can’t recognize a powerful or respectful leader in the pack, then the dog will try to take over the role itself.  This is because dogs have a survival instinct in which they recognize the need for a superior pack leader.

When there is NO human leader

This same principle applies in modern living circumstances in a condominium, apartment or house with a dog.  When a dog doesn’t trust the master's leadership position in the home, it tries to become a pack leader — even if the only other members in the environment are human.  Thus, the human owner will notice their dog displaying unwanted behaviors, such as:

1. barking fiercely towards “outsiders” who come close to its territory 
2. challenging other dogs during walks
3. pulling the owner (on the leash) while they are out for a walk, and insisting on roaming everywhere it wants to go
4. challenging or snapping at anyone who comes close while eating
5. ignoring the owner(s) when called 
6. challenging the owner(s) when told to be “off” from couch, bed, etc.

At the same time the dog tries to protect its pack, it also tries to display its superiority to its followers.  However, dogs should not be in the role of pack leader when they live with humans!  Humans must ALWAYS assume the role of pack leader so our dog(s) can naturally and smoothly become the follower(s).  It is absolutely necessary that the humans provide this leadership role so their dogs can relax and take the ‘follower position’ in the ‘pack.’  Otherwise, there will never be a hierarchy that both dog and master can fit into comfortably and rely on.

Rules, Boundaries, and Limitations

 

Are you babying your dog too much?  Are you leaving your dog alone too long because of your busy schedule?  Are you letting your dog do whatever s/he wants because you believe dogs are entitled to have lots of freedom?  If any of the above apply to you, you are not providing proper leadership for your dog.  My ‘mentor’ Cesar Millan (a.k.a. Dog Whisperer) always says, "Rules, Boundaries, and Limitations." 

Dogs need structure in order to feel secure.  When they understand the rules and what is to be expected, they can relax.  On the other hand, if dogs feel they need to take over the leadership role, they often show signs of stress because of a variety of responsibilities and obligations that they feel ‘need to be done’ for the pack.  This can also become harmful to your dog and lead to health risks. Thus, in order for dogs to feel secure and relaxed, we humans need to do our best to position our leadership roles clearly to gain trust and respect from our dogs.  By doing so, we provide our dogs a peaceful way of life.

Well, next time, I would like to talk about one of the most important responsibilities for us as leaders — training. We will consider what the most important aspect of training is with our dogs.

Until next time, be kind to Man’s Best Friends!

comments/questions: info@doggieproject.com

Spay/Neuter

“If we want to end the pitiful situation of abandoned, homeless dogs from this planet, the best solution is to spay and neuter all dogs!”  I’ve once heard a celebrity speak out on this so passionately.  Although we see more and more dog owners having their dogs altered these days, there is still persistent resistance towards spaying and neutering pet dogs.  It has become my regular ‘sermon’ at the shelter or wherever else I go - to explain the benefits of it and to encourage dog-owners-to-be to spay or neuter their dogs. 

There are pros and cons in regards to the question of spaying/neutering (S/N) dogs and there is no right answer to it.  However, I personally believe that having your dogs spayed/neutered produces more benefits than demerits, and I am hoping everyone realizes the importance of it.  In this article, I want to explain why I keep being so outspoken about this issue and tell people, “if you love your dog, trust me and please just spay/neuter.”

The most common reason for resistance to getting the S/N procedure done seems to do with people’s feelings about manhood.  If the owner is a rather macho individual, this sentiment becomes stronger.  I often hear, “if we take the balls out of my boy, he won’t be ‘a man’ anymore,” or “his personality will change drastically.”  Owners of female dogs seem to be more concerned about safety of the surgery or overall health concerns.  They don’t think it’s necessary to ‘cut her up’ if there is no foreseeable possibility in the future for their female dog to mate.  Why bother?  It is perfectly understandable to worry about surgery.  In fact, when my dog Juliette had her spay surgery, she almost didn’t wake up from the anesthesia!  However, this was a very rare case.  It would be much riskier if your dog needs to undergo surgery at an old age because s/he developed a disease in the reproductive organs which could have been taken out in S/N surgery.  Yes.  Prevention of unnecessary illness in later years is one of the best benefits of S/N procedure. 

Female dogs who are not spayed have their cycle twice a year and they go into heat.  The pheromones that those females emit during their cycle are aerated for miles around, and especially the park down the street where they leave their scent while walking the neighborhood.  That scent attracts their neighboring un-neutered male dogs.   Then, it makes the male dogs feel the need to pro create! However, most pet dogs do not have access to mate even if the time has arrived.  If the male dogs do not get the opportunity to meet a female, their frustration could reach the boiling point – or even to explode.  Some try to run away.  Others become aggressive or display behavior problems.  So, un-neutered male dogs have to go through this torture twice a year for many many years until they die.  By having him neutered, you can prevent ‘runaways.’  Your dog should behave milder since no testosterone will be produced (testosterone can make dogs more dominant and aggressive).  Thus, it is a tremendous benefit for both male and female dogs to be free from the frustration caused by sexual urges.
 

"Let’s have one litter and then we will spay her" or "it was an unexpected pregnancy…."  I hear these stories often.  Well, do you think all the puppies from the litter will find a permanent home?  The answer is no.   The puppies may be lucky enough to find a home - eventually.  But, there is a pretty big chance that some of the ‘grandpuppies’ would end up at a shelter.  Additionally, the family who adopted from your litter could have adopted a dog from a shelter!  The family could have saved a life of a homeless dog!  At the shelter where I work, all the dogs who find a home are spayed/neutered before they leave unless there is a compelling reason not do the procedure - the probability of which is about one in a million. 

Since we took the wildness from dogs, I truly believe that it is our duty to spay/neuter them to diminish excessive breeding and to lower the numbers of homeless dogs in this world.  That is why I constantly keep repeating, "Please just believe me and spay/neuter your dog if you love him/her so dearly."

Well, next time, I would like to bring up one of the most important topics for dog owners - “leadership.”  

Until next time, be kind to Man’s Best Friends!

comments/questions: info@doggieproject.com