– Guidance and Leadership are What Dogs Need
Naturally speaking, a dog is an instinctual pack animal. A dog prefers the pack and although they are a territorial animal, think along the lines of a necessary partnership with regards to certain aspects of their daily life. This can often be seen when you watch a dog sled team which works together in a pack to accomplish a common goal. You have the lead dog along with a series of followers, and in your house hold, you are the lead dog that will guide your best friend just like you would for your children.
Any winning team though requires the input, and training, of all members of the team. Just like the saying goes that there is not in teamwork, your dog needs you and you also need him. These are the winning characteristics of a family unit for which your dog is now a member of and it is up to you to ensure that he or she follows the rules of the pack in order to survive.
Both dogs as well as puppies need leadership and guidance if they want to be an efficient member of the family pack and it is you who is responsible for this task as well as making sure that the dog feels as if it belongs and is a loved and needed part of the family unit. Regardless as to whether you or your partner is the leader in the household, what truly matters is that there is a leader to help guide the entire pack.
Even when you have a number of people living in your home, your dog will soon learn the natural hierarchy of your family unit and will fall in line in the unit. This is a natural instinct of theirs that they have kept throughout many generations of domestication. While dog training can certainly assist with keeping the hierarchy, instinct comes first.
The biggest issue for dogs is the lack of rules in the pack
By remembering that dogs are pack animals and that they belong in a pack which has a natural hierarchy, you can see why without rules, the dog can begin to develop problems. Having rules are important, you are the leader of the pack and as such you have to be strong willed and a good leader. If you fail to offer rules and leadership, the dog will feel as if you are not a worthy leader and will begin to act out in a means of challenging for leadership of the pack.
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