Understanding Psychology of Dog Training: Pack Behavior & Establishing ControlWritten by Moses Chia
Dogs are descendent of wolves. To study psychology of dog training and understand pack hierarchal system of dogs, we must go back and examine their ancestor - wolves. Wolves live naturally in packs of at least 2 and more... They live in a dictatorship system with strictly defined hierarchies of males and females. In their system, a leader - usually always a male, biggest and toughest wolf also known as alpha leader would be in charge of pack and will have right to everything. The rest of dogs in pack would be followers and follow their leader willingly. This hierarchy system is not static and would change when another dominant member challenge leader's authority and win. For your dog, your family is pack and every member is part of hierarchy system. From moment a new puppy or dog is introduce to family, new dog will start to pick up signals and indicators to figure out his own status in family and who’s in charge. If your dog see you as a "alpha leader", he will follow your commands willingly and this will allows you to train him easily. On other hand, if your dog is very dominant (because you allow him to pick up wrong signals) and starts to challenge your "alpha leader" position, he may refuse to follow your command and turn aggressive against you easily. This situation usually happens in children where dogs see their chain of command higher than that of them. This also explains why children suffer more dog bites than adults do.
| | Why Crate Train My Dog?Written by Jenny Saylor
A few years ago, before I decided to stay home with my kids, I worked as a veterinarian technician in an animal hospital. While at that job I saw so many clients who would bring in their dog and be upset because they had eaten something in house, other than food, and were now sick. One client brought in her chocolate lab that had gotten into her sewing box and eaten a pincushion, pins and all!!! Off to surgery dog went and owner was out about $1,500. Case number two was a giant poodle that, while owner was away, got into her closet and ate a pair of panty hose. Unfortunately this dog did not make it through surgery. The pantyhose got wrapped around its intestines and doctor was not able to save dog.The above stories are a couple of really good reasons why you should crate train your puppy or dog, especially if you have a dog who likes to chew or eat things they should not be eating. By putting your puppy or dog in a crate you are giving them a sense of security and a place they can call their own. Dogs actually like having a “den” to cuddle up in. By putting dog in a crate while you are gone it will also give you peace of mind knowing that they are in a safe place, away from harm, and not doing any damage to your belongings or themselves. Crate training will also help with potty training. Make sure you put your pet on a regular schedule for potty breaks and use crate when you are gone or need your pet to rest. Dogs will typically not “go” in their home. They like to keep it clean and will hold it until you can take them outside to eliminate. Remember to always praise your pet when he eliminates in area you want him to outside.
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