Complete Guide on Dogs Behavior

The Behavior of Dogs

As they are natural pack animals, dogs have an instinct to share their lives with others, a mentality inherited from the wolf. A social animal, from birth a puppy is part of its own small 'pack' made up of siblings and the dam, leader of the pack. It is she who provides food, warmth, security and is the provider of discipline within the unit.

Learning from puppy hood

As the puppies' eyes open and they begin to move about on their feet they learn to play, both with each other and their dam who teaches them how to behave socially, something which will stand them in good stead in later life as much of a dog's strength depends upon a capacity to react to and communicate with other dogs. These early weeks are highly important because at this stage the puppy is still very impressionable.

If transferred to a new environment while still at this receptive age, it should be easy to look upon the human family as the new pack of which the puppy is an integral part, after all a dog is capable of communicating and socializing not only with other animals but also with humans. One of the humans in the family will become a natural leader, most usually the person who provides meals and exercise and who takes the place of the dam in teaching the rules of life.

The pack instinct

Growing into adulthood, given the opportunity and if of suitable mentality, the dog may take over as the leader - the reason why human control and firm discipline is vital during those formative months. When more than one dog lives in the same household they will decide between themselves which is to be 'top dog'. The hierarchy may change with circumstances as time goes on.

Whatever the ranking within the pack, it is 1 a dog's nature to guard the pack and its territory expressed by barking at strangers to warn of potential danger to other pack members and to the home. It is also natural that a dog should wish I protect people, items of furniture, toys and even I other family pets, to which the dog is greatly attached just another reason why discipline is important so that situations do not get out of hand. An untrained dog which is protecting what it sees as its own property can be troublesome and, worst, dangerous so sensible canine management is-1 important in any home.

Within packs dogs form their own small packs, something which can frequently be observed in feral and pariah dogs which group together to form small bands, heading off on their own each day to explore their local environs.

Sometimes these small packs will begin to form their own hunting, group and then eventually leave the main pack to form a new pack of their own. This is because, in the canine world, dogs only allow each pack to reach a certain size, beyond which it splits up so that the population is diluted over a much wider area, thus enhancing the ability of each up to survive.

The canine community

Both co-operative and competitive social behavior is needed in any balanced canine community. Most dogs, if living naturally or together with others a home environment, spend most of their time in close proximity to one another. They also often do things at the same e, observed by one dog setting up a howl and e others joining in, making veritable music to ears of a hound lover. Likewise when one dog barks, others will very probably also join in the commotion. That is not to say that some dogs do not choose to keep themselves somewhat apart m others, either because they prefer to do so. or cause they are relatively new members in the pack and have not yet accepted their pack ranking.

When hunting in a pack, behavior of the various individual members reaps rewards by its complementary nature, some chasing after prey, others surrounding the animal to cut off its retreat, thus making for an efficient hunt. This ability to hunt in a complementary manner is especially important when prey is larger or stronger than each individual pack member.

Importance of companionship

Companionship is important in a dog's life as a puppy, but this need continues into adulthood and some dogs show noticeable distress when parted from other canine company. This can easily be noticed when a dog is separated from its pack, so that if a kenneled dog is taken into a home situation it is usually happier if it has other canine companionship. Another distressing time, at which loneliness becomes apparent, is when an elderly canine partner dies and the surviving dog clearly suffers greatly from the loss - it is usually prudent to introduce another dog into the household for companionship.