To understand and educate a dominant dog you need to know how a pack works. The concept of a pack refers to a social group of hunting dogs that organized themselves by hierarchies. It is speculated that hunting dogs came from the extinct Eurasian wolf, a species that survived by hunting and guarding to protect their fellows. Even with domestication, dogs have inherited this behavior andstill reproduce them at home with the family, as dominant or submissive. That is, for your puppy who lives indoors, the family is like a pack. Who better explains how this canine behavior works is the veterinarian and behaviorist Renata Bloomfield, who gave tips on how to deal with a dominant dog. check out!

Training your dominant dog will improve their relationship with the world

Whether it is a tame dog or one considered dominant, training improves the animal's coexistence with society. Renata Bloomfield points out that some dominant dogs have the instinct to protect, and that the guardian needs to have the confidence to teach that he does not have this duty: "It is necessary to know how to deal and show him that he does not need to protect, in addition to avoiding triggers that lead the animal to this instinct.If the human doesn't know how to deal and the dog becomes aggressive, the best way is the support of an animal behavior professional to help."

The behaviorist reiterates that dogs have the intuition to take the lead in various situations, but that this is part of their natural behavior. The problem is when the animal extrapolates and this attitude becomes aggressive. "Many take the lead in a healthy way, as in ParCão. When it stops being healthy, it is good to seek a specialist ", he says.

To understand the dominant dog's personality, it is necessary to go back to the origin of canine domestication. The veterinarian says that the first breeds of dog were created to assist in the demands of man: "Each breed was developed and genetically selected to take charge of situations according to the needs of the human being. The guard breeds are always ahead to take care of the dog.territory, either for personal guarding or herding - like the Border Collie."

Dog pack: what are the characteristics of dominant and submissive dog?

But how do you know if the dog is dominant or submissive? Just observe his behavior: protective posture and authority over other dogs are strong indications that he wants to dominate and defend his fellow dogs - in this case, the tutor and his family. Another indication is a dog that becomes aggressive when given a command, as this shows that he does not accept being confronted. The signs of a dogsubmissive is to back down in front of other pets or unknown people, in addition to not being competitive during play. The pet is also more affectionate and obedient to commands. See below 8 tips from Renata Bloomfield to deal with a dominant dog.

1) Positive training is the most recommended for dominant dogs

Dog training with positive reinforcement is the most suitable when dealing with a more dominant dog. The technique serves for all stages of the animal's life and consists of associating commands and rules that the dog needs to follow with good things. "Positive reinforcement is done all life, whether for dominant or fearful dogs, it is necessary to teach the right way through this method. useIf they forget everything during the vacations, imagine the dogs. That's why you have to train them during the week," explains Renata.

2) Socialization helps deal with dominant and territorial dog

The socialization of the dog prepares him to deal with various situations that he will encounter during his life. Therefore, it is essential to get the dog used to noises, children, strangers and other animals from an early age. "Socialization is essential for all dogs. But some breeds are predisposed to this behavior: Terriers are territorial and guard dogs too.But even a dog that does not have these characteristics will need socialization, because nothing guarantees that in the long run it will not develop this behavior of guarding territory. This varies from individual to individual."

3) Frequency of training is essential to remove the dominance of the dog

Getting around the dominance of a puppy or adult dog is not impossible, but the guardian must use the right techniques. In addition to socialization, use and abuse exercises and games with commands: teach the dog to sit, stay, give the paw, among others. All this will make the pet understand that humans expect an attitude from him associated with a command or gesture. The veterinarian indicates that up tothe tutor must reproduce the exercises at home to be more successful: "Many people do not do it and the dog associates the commands with the professional. Then the dog does not accept the family, because each one has a body language and tone of speech. The more you exercise the training, it will be better. The work is done since the dog arrives home, no matter if it is a puppy, young, adult or elderly."

4) Don't use punishment to correct a dominant dog

Dogs have several habits that are part of their behavior and he likes or believes it is the best thing to do at that moment. An aggressive dog, for example, had a trigger to act that way. Even so, never use aggression to correct him. "Avoid punishment always. If the dog does an activity that the family does not want, you have to make him stop and come to you. If he thinks he will bepunished with yelling or aggression, he will think twice before stopping something he likes to do, "explains the behaviorist. Also remember to always reward good behavior when the animal obeys.

5) Dominant dogs have an acute protective instinct

Some dog breeds have inherited the instinct to guard or hunt to protect the pack. And what is pack? It is the grouping of dogs. But in this case, the pack is the individuals who share the home with the pet. Just like in the social group of dogs, they have the notion of who needs to protect or guide their fellows. Renata Bloomfield explains: "In the pack, one is better at hunting, another at guarding and there is that onewhich protects the territory".

This shows why some dogs seem to 'run the house'. They believe that everyone is helpless and that they need to take charge. But all this is the intent of a protective dog. "The last thing they do is fight, they may growl, but there is hardly any injury, because when one gets sick or injured, it slows down the pack and they become vulnerable," says Renata. In other words, a pack of dogs will neverwill fight among themselves.

6) Adult dog with dominant behavior needs to be trained

In the case of an adult dog, Renata recommends taking advantage of the animal's dominant behavior and transforming it into obedience with basic commands. "If you have an adult dominant dog at home, the training is to guide him to do the job he was genetically selected to do in the healthiest way possible. If it is a guard dog, it is essential to teach that he has to learn the commandsBut ideally any dog should know how to do this so as not to put other people at risk," he explains.

7) Study dog breeds and behavior before adopting one

Renata Bloomfield points out that it is always good to evaluate the breed and marry your need to the animal's instinct. If you want a dog to play with children and walk around without much stress, a guard dog may not be the best option: "Controlling this breed is more difficult than a companion animal, such as the Chihuahua. A Rottweiler cannot be a companion, it is not suitable for that."Some dominant breeds carry more protective instincts than others, such as the Chow Chow and German Shepherd.

A puppy of any breed can already demonstrate dominant behaviors from an early age: "Unfortunately there is prejudice with guard dogs with other pets, people and children. During the choice of the puppy, we believe that the one who is below another puppy is submissive. The one who knocked down is more sure of himself and the other develops aggression out of fear ", he details.

8) Pack: every dog needs a good leader

"Dogs don't want to dominate anyone. In fact, they take the lead as the situation happens," explains Renata. That's why it's important that the guardian takes a leadership position from an early age. The dog needs to understand that it is the owner who will determine what he should or should not do. The correct handling of a behavior, whether right or wrong, will show that it is not the animal that controls the behavior.But don't forget: it takes love, patience, the right techniques and rewards for the animal to understand its position in the family pack.