To really understand dog behavior you must first understand the behavior of the dogs ancestor, the wolf.

Wolves have developed over millions of years to become the ultimate co-operative pack hunter. Their bodies and brains, senses and abilities have become adapted to communicating with each other, and they have developed the complex behaviors required to succeed as a social animal.

DNA evidence now proves conclusively that the wolf is the sole ancestor of the domestic dog. So it is not surprising that dogs have many of the same instinctual behaviors as wolves.

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

Here are some of the common dog behaviors and their motivations.

Pack Hierarchy: The wolf pack has a simple, but effective hierarchial structure. At the top is the alpha male and his mate. The rest of the pack are usually their offspring although it may include other, non-related wolves. All however, unquestionably follow the alpha male.

Likewise, pet dogs normally look for leadership from their owner. If the leadership is not present some dogs, particularly breeds known for dominance, will assume they are the leader, and act accordingly.

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.

Humans often misinterpret these signals. For example, tail wagging is often misconstrued as a sign of happiness, when in fact it usually indicates uncertainty.

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”.

Social Interaction: The social structure of the pack promotes co-operation, while play and social interaction helps the pack develop the co-operative hunting skills that are central to their survival.

It is quite easy to simulate this with your dog - just give him lots of play, walks and training. If you want a balanced dog you’ll have to go further though, socializing him with a lot of other people and also with other dogs.

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 are the same, chasing the neighbor’s cat, the mailman or a passing cyclist.

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: Wolves and dogs have similar vocal capabilities, but wolves are less inclined to use vocal signals for communication. This makes sense when you consider that sound may alert an enemy, or warn potential prey.

Dogs have no such concerns and use an extensive vocabulary that includes barking, whining and howling to express their feelings.

Visit www.dogsanddogtraining.com to find outmore about dog obedience training, dog care, dog anatomy and other helpful dog info.

Bookmark to: