Behavior

Dog Pack Mentality—the Psyche of Dogs

The key to enjoying a satisfying and rewarding relationship with your dog is learning to think like a dog and understanding that his very being is rooted in his nature as a pack animal.

Dogs are pack animals, having descended from wolves, and in each pack there must be a leader. We have domesticated dogs; yet the dog-pack mentality is intrinsic to their nature. That is, a dog knows that there must be a pecking order from top to bottom in order for them to feel safe in the world, the top dog being the leader, and so on, down the line. Dogs are dependent on us for their survival, and this survival instinct incorporates pack or leadership mentality. This innate social structure is fundamental to a dog’s well-being in the world. Domesticated pet dogs don’t have to hunt for food, so their survival instinct is not as strong as it is in wolves, yet it exists and is at the center of their dog-pack mentality. A human family pack is different from a dog pack, yet we two-legged beings must use the tour-legged model of pack hierarchy to assume and establish ourselves as leaders to our dogs. A dog must feel safe in his environment; in other words, he must know his place in his new family pack. If this hierarchy or pecking order is not clearly established, confusion sets in. In this confusion—an absence of leadership—the dog must rise to take the leadership role, it is instinctive! When we understand this delicate balance of dominance, submission, and aggression, and our dog’s natural pack-behavior instincts, we can enjoy much greater success in our relationships with them.