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!

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