Let’s face it, we all lose our position sometimes when it comes to our pets, they are very cute and we let them run all over us. That means that the pets somehow go from being the pets to being the bosses in the house and that leads to many problems. There are many habits that allow us to see that they have taken on this role and as an owner, it is out role to make sure that we are able to take back the control of the situation. There are many behaviors which our pets do that mean that they are not thinking of who is the dominant party in the household. A few of these behaviors include begging for food, mounting other dogs, urine marking, and licking people in the face. These behaviors are signs of affection but they are not something that dogs would do to the person who was the leader of the pack.
When a trainer thinks that a dog is dominant, the parents of that dog are always told that they need to assume the dominant role and that means that that they need to have many training plans as well as other kinds of behavior that will put that dog back on the right track to behaving. A few of these training mechanisms are usually things that pet owners try to fight against, they do not like making an animal act in a subservient role and that is the reason that they have found themselves in this position to begin with. However, a few of these techniques include alpha rolls, scruff shakes that in some dogs can make them a little more aggressive. The techniques are also difficult to use and fix in some areas but they can serve to hinder and destroy the relationship between the owner and the dog if not done carefully.
If you think that your dog has a dominance problem there are many ways that you can tell. Here are a few suggestions that will allow you to take back the dominant role without having to worry that you are going to lose the upper hand in the situation.
What Does Dominance Mean?
Dominance is the way that animals organize themselves into packs as well as the way that they get everything. In a pack all animals have to compete for all that they have and that means food, space, resting locations, mating partners , and grooming companions. For that reason it is important for all of the animals to have a system for determining how all of these items are going to be divided as well as how they are going to be handled. Fighting is not something that most animals want to do as it makes them vulnerable to many of the other animals and the predators out there and for that reason there is then a hierarchical construct to the way that there are relationships so that fighting is not a problem.
According to many of the studies out there, animals will establish their power by looking at the other animals and sizing them up. That means that they are usually able to tell which animal in a fight will have the upper hand without having to fight full on. This is done by playing and sparring with one another and this can also mean that there is a very clear relationship then that is divided between the dominant and the subordinate animals. The dominant animal will take control of the pack and all of the others will follow it.
This is done in wolves as well as in dogs and is a very complex system of relationships that allows for all of the animals to get along and to find ways to communicate with one another. These dominance relationships are usually very stable although whenever there is a change in the group such as the addition or the removal of another animal they are then thrown into a state of upheaval and many other animals may vie for the control of the group. This kind of behavior is seen in animals too and can be the reason for many of the problems that you may be experiencing in your home with your dog’s behavior. For that reason as a pet owner, you need to determine what the main issue is first, and then you need to understand what the dominance issue is and then develop a strategy to fix it.
We have a dog trainer on staff who has experience in dog behavior. Give us a call here at 2 Paws Up Inc Pet Sitting | Dog Walking | Dog Training 770-695-3096, and we will connect you both together.
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