How to Think Like a Dog

Dogs are loving, intelligent companions, but don't be fooled. Underneath that lovable, tail-wagging, face-licking exterior lurks a wolf.

We may have domesticated the dog, but at heart he retains his animal instincts. It's up to us to recognize this and modify our behavior, rather than expecting them to modify theirs.

A Dog's View of the World

Dogs interact with the world at the level of instinct. Basically, their needs are food, shelter, and the protection of the pack. This means they need a pack leader who the trust and are willing to follow. This is the role you need to fill.

The most important job of any dog owner is to provide pack leadership. Do this and he will obey your every command. Fail and you have a problem dog on your hands.

The first key to understanding dog behavior is to remember that dogs do not understand words.Now you are probably thinking about how your dog sits, when you give the command "sit", or looks up when you call his name. But this is word association rather than understanding.

The truth is that dogs have no capacity for understanding words, they mainly interpret body language. They learn to associate actions with actions, so if you praise your dog when he obeys a command, he understands that when he obeys, you react by being pleased with him.

As a consequence of this they learn to react to certain words, so if you say "Dinner!" when you feed your dog he may start to salivate, but actually he's responding to the rattling of his food bowl, and other familiar "dinner activities".

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 to words. Realise that your dog thinks in pictures and responds to actions and you'll have a far better chance of understanding him.

Dogs pay a lot of attention to regular routines. For example, your dog will quickly learn that you come home at a certain time and will look forward to your arrival. If you don't arrive as expected the dog will begin to become fidgetty. This is because your dog forms expectations based on past actions. Based on that he expects a particular result. If that outcome is not carried through it creates anxiety.

How to be the Pack Leader

In a wolf pack the Alpha controls all of the actions of the pack including when they eat, when they move and who receives attention. When you think about it, these are the exact same things you control in your "pack". By controlling when he receives food, walks, and attention you reduce frustration and anxiety.

Now leadership is one thing, but what about showing affection to your dog? Good 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. Your dog will sense that and exploit it.

The right time to give affection is when your dog is calm and well behaved, so that you re-enforce that behavior.

Being consistent, firm and even-handed is what alpha leadership is all about.