Tales From The Pack #2
|
|
|
|
|
3 August 2007
More pack instinct stuff from your dog!
Have you ever had a staring match with your dog where you lock eyes and stare each other out? Did he try to out-stare you?
More to the point, did he win?
A powerful domination trick with dogs in a pack situation is the ability to hold the stare the longest. The winner reinforces his place as pack-leader, while the loser will look away first so as not to force the leader into a fight for supremacy. Despite what you might think, dogs in their pack rarely inflict serious damage to each other because it will ultimately weaken the hunting strength of the whole pack.
Therefore it is only when a pretender to the throne makes his move to challenge the pack-leader that staring becomes a power play.
In the domestic situation and indeed in any situation where you come face to face with a large dog, it is better not to make eye contact with them. If you do, inadvertently, then you must hold that stare and not look away before the dog does. In the case of a strange dog, it could cause him to attack you.
In the case of your own dog, looking away first tells him that you are promoting him to pack-leader. His behaviour will change and he’ll be more unruly and disobedient to the point of all-out mutiny.
In all situations, you must ensure that you remain as pack leader and that all members of your family have a higher rank than your dog. And that doesn’t mean just because you think you rank higher, that your dog necessarily agrees with you!
Terry Didcott
Dogs Wish
