Dog owners looking to add more pets to their family need to keep in mind dog pack behavior. Knowing how it works will help significantly in how well your new friend accepts his new position. It will minimize or eliminate problems.
Dogs have personalities that predict where they fit into the pack. Some dogs are leaders while others are content to follow. Actually, dogs are not unlike humans in that regard.
You might know what can happen when you put two bosses with dominant personalities into a room. Each will "fight" to be the leader. That's also how dogs act when two of a kind are expected to get along when, in fact, their natural tendency is to fight for supremacy.
This can lead to a disastrous situation when trying to introduce a new member into your home. Even one dog in your household is enough to form the pack. That existing dog sees (or should see) you as the pack leader with him being second in line. It's based on the pecking order. Usually, the strongest and most wilful dogs take the top levels while weaker, smaller and less aggressive dogs fall into the lower levels.
All levels have their own hierarchy with increasingly more submissive dogs being on the bottom.
When a new dog enters the scene, it must interject itself into the pack and learn the hierarchy. It must fight for its rightful place within that pack. This means coming face to face with others and attempting to take over one of those spots. Easy-going dogs will fit in nicely, especially those that are dog-friendly.
Dominant dogs, on the other hand, can get into serious fights.
There are different levels of dominant dogs. The top dog will always be the most dominant and often is the bigger dog. When confronted by another dominant dog, it will determine how much of a threat it is and proceed as necessary.
Some dogs will simply back down after a few episodes of dominant behavior, but others will never give up and will fight to the death. If this is evident, there's nothing you can do but keep them separated or get rid of one dog.
Find out the behavior of your new dog before bringing it home. Is it submissive, dominant, disinterested, friendly or aggressive toward other dogs? Be sure to choose a dog that will accept your current dog more readily. Often, choosing the opposite sex will be sufficient, but do look at her personality too.
Dog pack behavior is the perfect example of how everything has its rightful place. By having a good understanding of your own dog and choosing wisely you can end up with a family where dog pack behavior is not a problem for you or your pets.
For more great dog training tips and resources to help you train your dog, or puppy, visit How To Train A Dog Review Site at http://DogsTrainingMadeEasy.com
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