Dog abuse – more common than we realize
If you own a dog or know someone who does, then please read on. Otherwise, stop reading immediately, because this blog entry won’t interest you at all.
Pop quiz
When you walk your dog, does your dog walk in front of you? If you dog stops to sniff, do you dutifully stop with him (or her, hereonafter)? If your dog starts acting up, or gets over-excited about something, or gets aggressive with another dog or a human, do you try to console your dog, showering him with affection to calm him down?
Last question: is your idea of walking your dog consist of letting him go to the bathroom and then coming immediately back inside?
Verdict
If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, then, frankly, you are abusing your dog. Surprised? If so, you need to read on. Not for me, but for your dog.
Domesticated wolves
First, some history. Dogs are descendents of wolves. That’s true whether your dog is Pomeranian or a Rottweiler. Dogs were bred specifically to perform tasks; i.e., to help their human masters. Dogs are often classified as hunting dogs, working dogs, herding dogs, etc. (some dogs fit easily into several categories).
Point is this: dogs in the wild don’t play dress up with each other. They aren’t trying to look “cute” for their canine pack leaders. They don’t enjoy sitting in an air-conditioned, 3000 sq ft house for 23 hours a day. Dogs are pack animals. They want to be part of a stable pack with a strong, effective pack leader. That’s their mission in life, regardless of breed.
If you own a dog, or know someone who does, then your job is to be the pack leader for your dog. If you watch The Dog Whisperer, then you already know this and you can stop reading. Ceasar Millan does a better job of explaining this stuff than I do, but for the sake of having a common vocab, I’ll borrow his terms.
Pack leadership
Being the pack leader means that you are in control of yourself and your dog. If that sounds cruel or mean, then you’re flat-out wrong (and probably misguided by post-modern ideological crap). Dogs need to feel that they belong to a pack that is led by a strong, capable leader. Note that I did not say a tyrannical leader or an abusive leader. Pack leaders are calm-assertive. They don’t yell at their dogs; they don’t lose their tempers; they don’t hit their dogs. When people engage in this behavior, it’s just pathetic. They have neither control over their dogs or over themselves. They feel frustrated and powerless, and they take it out on their dogs. It’s sad.
It’s also sad when I see little trophy dogs that are pampered by their owner. They’re usually aggressive, though it’s “cute” when they bark and jump on strangers, isn’t it? No, it’s not. Not to someone like me who cares about dogs. When dogs bark excessively, jump on people (guests in your home, for eg), “hump” people, growl, or bite, then that’s a very bad sign. Those dogs are the pack leaders, not their human owners. As pack leaders, they feel that it’s their job to dominate other would-be pack members. They are territorial. They show their dominance as soon as guests walk in the door.
Being the pack leader is best for your dog. It relieves him of the stress of running the (human) pack is a world that is very unnatural for them. Rather than being aggressive when other people approach you and your dog, your pet will realize that you’re the pack leader, not him, and you decide if the pack is in danger, not him.
More on this topic later.