Lack of dominance in Dogs

In the previous section, the annoying effects that an excessive authority could cause on the dog were described. In the same way, a lack of it can provoke situations not less conflictive.

Before judging, one must try to understand the dog's reactions, and the only way to do so is to think like him or in other words by empathy.

It can be assured that the lack of dominance is the origin of most of the problems caused by living with a dog. Remember that the dog's concept of family is different from that we humans have. For him, the family is the pack and is hierarchically structured from the most dominant (the boss or leader of the pack) to the one who is placed in the last position, which must always be the dog.

It is a fact that the dog will always try to reach higher positions within this so called hierarchic structure, generally when someone from the family is being excessively condescending. This can be understood by the animal as him reaching higher positions of leadership on the structure. By itself, this situation doesn't have to have any influence on the general behavior of the dog, but it can do so in a particular way, with the relation he has with the members thought by him as inferiors.

Child and women are frequently listed by the dog as inferiors. Before these usual circumstances, we should ask ourselves why is this so.

As pointed out before, the tones of voice are determining, and we would think this is the answer to the question above. It is true that a deep adult male voice imposes a great respect to the dog. And it is also true that children and women lack this deep tone of voice, but there are other factors that are even more conclusive than these, always from the dog's point of view.

In the case of the younger members of the family, these are the ones that have more direct contact with the puppies. The first months of life of the dog are the most decisive to place the different members of the family, and also in which they play more with the children.

The problem begins at this point. So much as for the adult dog as for the puppy, and no matter whether interacting with humans or other dogs, a game is not only a game.

Since its first day of life, and when playing with his litter brothers that afterwards will be substituted by the children of the house, the dog learns the patterns which will rule his future. The lessons also concern contact with other dogs and how it establishes a particular relation of dominance/submission with each one of them. This will also happen with its human brothers.

Women are conceived by dogs and humans as females, but for the dog means a member that will be more affectionate, but deserve less respect than the male ones. If we place this situation in a wild environment, for example a pack of wolfs, females are considered as secondary elements. The dog, in origin a wolf, has brought these considerations to his human pack.

If one adds, to this last circumstance, that women inside the family group are usually the ones who take most care of the dog, one can find that the dog's behavioral pattern is being directly influenced by this circumstances. It is unfortunate for women that dogs take this affective commitment as an example of weakness. This implies that determined attitudes should never be evidenced by the dog in reference to its human environment. This is to be manifested, with everything it carries, in a very special and particular way with the women and children of his family group. .