Alpha Male Archives - Edie MacKenzie

Amazing Dog Behavior Snippets

January 3, 2012 by admin Leave a Comment

Any study of dog behavior has to start with an analysis of the behavior of the wolf, ancestor of all domestic dogs.

Wolves are exceptional predators with a complex set of behaviors, signals and communication methods guiding their behavior. Their bodies and brains are the result of millions of years of evolution that has resulted in perhaps the ultimate co-operative hunter.

Dogs are directly descended from wolves and have been domesticated for only 15 000 years or so, a mere blip on the evolutionary scale. So it makes sense that many of the wolf’s instincts and drives are still present in dogs.

Understand this, and many of your dog’s strange behaviors will suddenly make sense.

Here are some of the behaviors common to dogs and wolves.

Pack Mentality: As pack animals wolves naturally submit to a leader. Wolf packs usually consist of a mating pair and their offspring, with the alpha male as the leader.

Dogs also look for leadership in their human “pack”. Where none is present, they will feel compelled to take up the role themselves, leading to dominance issues.

Body Language: In the world of the wolf (and the dog), body language trumps vocal cues every time. This is a complex “language” with body posture, movement, facial expression and eye contact all playing a part.

These signals are often misunderstood by humans. For example, many asume that a dog who wags his tail is happy when he may in fact be highly aggitated and ready to bite.

Territorial Aggression: In the wild, wolves will stake out a territory, then patrol and defend it against intruders. The same behavior can be seen in dogs. They will naturally protect what they perceive as their territory, whether it’s their home, a favorite toy, or even a person they regard as “theirs”.

Socialization: Social interaction is very important in a wolf pack as it helps to develop the strong bonds that are vital to the survival of the pack.

You can simulate this with your dog through play, walks and obedience training. But you need to go further, socializing your dog with a broad spectrum of people and other animals, so that he doesn’t start to see everyone outside his immediate circle as a threat.

Pursuit: A wolf pack hunts by pursuing a prey animal until it is exhausted and easily subdued. Their instinct is to chase anything that moves away from them.

Dogs have this same instinct which is why they love to chase cats, cars, and cyclists.

Fleeing: Even powerful, apex predators like lions, would rather back off than get involved in a fight where they could be seriously injured. A wolf or a dog will rather flee than fight if the odds are stacked against him.

Vocalization: Contrary to popular belief, wolves can bark, they are just less inclined to use vocalization as a form of communication. This is perfectly logical, as a hunter that makes a lot of noise is unlikely to be very successful.

Dogs, on the other hand have spent thousands of years in the company of humans and have learned that we communicate mainly by voice. They therefore have no problem expressing themselves with a bark, a while or even a howl if the mood takes them.

If you want to discover more about dog obedience training, dog care, puppy care and other useful dog information visit www.dogsanddogtraining.com

Proper and effective training for Dealing with Aggressive Dog Training – The reasons which led to aggression in dogs

October 21, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Having aggressive dog as a pet is no fun at all. First, the sweet, kind, obedient, well-trained animal, which looks to find their dog, it went to hell and also explains the training that a dog that has a lot of aggression in it makes it very difficult to the train. Not only can not effectively train your dog well, but the whole set routine he decided to train him goals in line with expectations for your pet are not satisfied either.

In this scenario, many of us think about quitting and not going through the aggressive animal training at all . But it need not be in the natural course of things. There are ways in which aggressive dog training can be carried out and this with some aggressive dog training tips. So, if you have aggressive dogs, training them will not be an easy task. The following tips on dog training aggressive and you’ll have your answers in any time.

dog aggressive behavior

Before getting into the aggressive dog training, it is important to know what causes aggression in dogs. This will help you understand your pet better and lead to better care for the dog. Some of the causes that lead to aggression in dogs are:

Sometimes the pet owner to the dog’s behavior leads to aggression. These behaviors include continuous chain, excessively punished or ill-fed dogs.

Aggression may occur in response to other dogs and pets. This is because the dog wants to prove it territorial rights and be recognized as the alpha male.

Being in an unfamiliar situation, surrounded by unknown persons may lead to aggression in the dog.

dog health can be one of the other reasons should be required training aggressive dogs. Suffering from illness or are affected by disease can cause the dog shows aggression as a result of the pain he is experiencing.

Aggressive Behavior Dog Training

These were some of the reasons that can lead to aggression in the dog. When it turns out that the dog is aggressive, you will need some method of training aggressive dog behavior. Here are a few of them: 12px 0px

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When Dogs Meet Other Dogs: What Are They Saying To Each Other?

May 22, 2009 by admin Leave a Comment

How can you tell if your puppy’s encounter with an unfamiliar dog will be a delight or a disaster? That depends on how the other dog acts and how your puppy responds.

Pet dogs, though domesticated, interact with each other according to pack protocol. The pack (the basic canine social unit) is structured around a hierarchy of dominance and subordinance (submission).

Every pack member is dominant to some and subordinate to others, with the exception of the alpha male (who is dominant to all) and the lowest-ranking pack member (who is subordinate to all). Social rank is communicated and enforced through body language ? a complex combination of movements, posture and other physical signals.

When two dogs meet for the first time, the outcome depends on several factors:

1) Age: Most adult dogs tolerate puppies, but this isn’t always the case. If your puppy is approaching maturity and tries to out some dominant behaviors, an older dog may feel obligated to put your youngster in its place. However, puppies of similar ages usually get along well with each other, because puppies usually don’t attempt to dominate each other.

2) Sex: Adult dogs often have friendlier interactions with dogs of the opposite sex than those of the same sex. Because this characteristic is related to maturity, it doesn’t affect interactions involving young puppies

3) Location: Dogs naturally try to protect their own territory (their house and yard), so they often get along better when they meet on neutral ground, such as a park. This tactic doesn’t work, however, if either dog decides that a frequently visited public location is part of its territory. Most puppies, especially young ones, aren’t really territorial, but an adult dog may still regard your youngster as an intruder.

4) Owner Presence: And finally, some dogs are more amiable with one another when their owners aren’t around. This may be due to decreased feelings of jealousy or protectiveness. It may also be that socialization proceeds more smoothly without human interference.

A friendly dog will approach your puppy with a slightly crouched posture, low wagging tail, laid-back ears and a soft, indirect gaze. A not-so-friendly dog will approach standing tall, with its tail and ears erect. It’s gaze will be direct and staring; it may snarl or growl as it approaches.

Your puppy will probably respond to either of these dogs with submissive behavior, which is similar to that of the friendly dog, but more pronounced. Your puppy may even roll over on its back or urinate a bit -signs of complete submission. Even the most aggressive dog won’t attack another dog in this position.

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