Dogs are affectionate, intelligent and loyal companions, but don’t be fooled. Underneath that lovable, tail-wagging, face-licking exterior lurks a wolf.

We may have domesticated the dog, but at heart he retains his animal instincts. It’s up to us to recognize this and modify our behavior, rather than expecting him to modify his.

How Dogs View Their World

A dog’s behavior is built on instinct, and is focused on finding something to eat, a safe place to rest, and the companionship and safety of being in the pack. They instinctively look for direction from a leader they trust. This is where you come in.

The next thing you have to understand in order to comprehend dog behavior is that words are meaningless to a dog. Now, many people will argue this point. They’ll tell you that their dog understand everything they say. But what they’re referring is simply word association.

The truth is, that dogs have no capacity for understanding words, they mainly interpret body language. They learn to associate actions with actions, so if you praise your dog when he obeys a command, he understands that when he obeys, you react by being pleased with him.

As a consequence, they learn to react to certain words, so if you say “Dinner!” when you feed your dog he may start to salivate, but actually he’s responding to the rattling of his food bowl, and other familiar “dinner activities”.

Think Like A Dog

Body posture and tone of voice hold profound meaning for a dog, in fact they are the “words” that make up dog language. Understand that your dog thinks in pictures based on the behavior patterns he sees and you’ll be well on your way to understanding him.

Dogs pay a lot of attention to regular routines. If you always return home at a certain time your dog will anticipate and expect your arrival at that time. If you are caught up in traffic or otherwise delayed the dog may become anxious.

This is because your past actions have led him to expect a certain outcome. When you fail to arrive he begins to fear that something has happened to you and that you may never return.

How to Show Leadership

Dogs have a limited set of needs, and in a wolf pack, the alpha controls these for the entire pack. He decides when they move, who is allowed to eat, and who gets affection - much the same things you control in your dog’s life. By making these decisions for your dog, you actually lessen his anxiety.

Where does affection come into this? Excellent question. A strong pack leader knows when and how to reward a pack member with affection. Get this wrong and your dog will see you as weak. And dogs are great at exploiting weakness.

Affection should be given as a reward for good behavior, so that it re-enforces the behaviors you want your dog to repeat.

Find out more about dog obedience training, dog breed info, dog health and other helpful dog info at Dogs and Dog Training

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