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Dogs are pack animals, meaning they have an instinct to live among a group. They look at the world differently than humans. To them, there must be an order in their group, a leader, a boss of the household. In their mind, everyone must have a place, from the leader on down to the lowest member of their group. In order for humans and dogs to coexist happily, humans must understand the dogs instinct to have an order and understand how to show the dog where his order in the family is. When dogs live with humans, the humans become their pack. Dogs must be shown they are last in the pack order. What does this mean, "Last in the order"? It means, the dog looks at all the other humans in the family as the boss, his leaders. He will happily follow their commands and accept that they are his boss. Believe it or not, dogs are very happy to be last in the pack order. A dog becomes unhappy and stressed when the order is not clear to him and he feels he needs to test the order; which leads to growling at family members and even biting.
When a dog is separated from his pack he becomes worried, stressed and unhappy, leading to Separation Anxiety. A lot of destructive behaviors stem from dogs who just cannot deal with being separated from their pack. A lot of unwanted dogs in pounds are there because of behaviors which stemmed from the stress of being left alone without their pack.
It is very common for a dog to be perfectly behaved while you are home, yet destructive and untrustworthy while you are away. There are many things one can do to curb or cure (pick one) this behavior, like crate the dog while you are gone. However, while crating the dog stops your furniture from being chewed, it does not cure the dog from being unhappy and miserable.
We humans have busy lives, and while we are focused on our tasks for the day in order to keep the household running, (i.e. earning a paycheck, and the kids going off to school), the dog sees his pack all leaving him behind, with no understanding of why everyone is leaving and not bringing him along.
So, what can we do to help our dogs cope with living among a busy human household that must leave him behind on a regular basis?
The first thing you want to do is start exercising your dog with a long walk right before you leave for your busy day. This will put the dog in a rest mode while you are gone. Whether you have one dog or a whole pack of dogs, a long, daily walk is paramount. Not just tossing a ball or running around the yard, but a real walk, jog or hike. When a dog is lacking in exercise, his energy bottles up inside him. Just as birds have an instinct to fly free, dogs have in instinct to migrate. Running around your back yard does not curb this migration instinct. This can cause a bunch of behavior issues.
Have you ever thought of getting a second dog? Busy households that must leave their dog home alone for long periods of time should consider it. This may not cure a dog from chewing your trash while you are gone, as half his pack is still leaving him, and heck, there's something tasty in there after all! However, your dog will be happier. I have heard of countless stories of old dogs becoming active again, playing with the younger dog, and a skittish dog coming out of their shell when introduced to a second dog. Sometimes dogs are just happier living with another fellow K-9.
For those of you who have never owned two dogs, it is normal for the dogs to compete for the, "who is first in the pack order". Humans should be so clearly the leader that the issue of boss among the humans never arises in the dog's mind. This can be accomplished with no yelling or hitting involved. Just some simple behaviors on the humans part. Read Establishing and Keeping Alpha Position. Challenges between two dogs should be stopped by the human, making it clear it is not acceptable. Consult a professional if you do not know how to do this. |
