Dogs are our closest allies in the animal world, but never forget that even your goofy Pug, or affectionate Shih Tzu is just one evolutionary step removed from the wolf.

For all our efforts at domesticating dogs, they are still very much part of the natural, animal world. We need to accept this, and adjust the way we interact with our dogs.

How Dogs View Their World

A dog’s thinking is based on drives and instincts. Their basic needs are food, a place to sleep, and a strong pack for protection. This means they need a strong leader – one they are prepared to follow without hesitation. This is the role you need to fill in your dog’s life.

The next key to understanding dog behavior is to remember that dogs do not understand words. This idea confuses many people because their dogs seem to understand every word the say. But, what you are seeing is merely word-association.

Dogs are incapable of understanding words, what they mainly understand is body language. They are attuned to associate action and reaction, so as your dog learns that certain actions bring reward he’ll be encouraged to repeat them.

As part of this chain of action and reaction, most dogs learn to react to single words, so he may for example learn to associate the word “walk” with going out, but most likely it is the “pre-walk rituals” – putting on his lead, for example – that he recognizes.

How to Think Like a Dog

The most important thing to remember is that dogs respond to body posture and tone of voice, rather than words. By understanding that your dog thinks in images and responds to actions, you will have a much greater influence over 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.

The reason is that he has built up an expectation based on his experience of your comings and goings. Based on that he expects a particular result. If that result is not forthcoming he becomes anxious.

How to be the Pack Leader

In the wild, the Alpha Wolf controls all the activities of the pack – when they eat, when they move, who receives affection. These are the same things you control in your dog’s life. By controlling when he receives food, walks, and attention you reduce frustration and 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 always be a reward. Give affection when your dog does something good and he’ll repeat that behavior over and over again.

If you want to learn more about dog obedience training, dog care, dog breeds a-z and other interesting dog advice check out dogsanddogtraining.com

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