Welcome to Heart of the Pack

When I first got my puppy he was so lovable and cute. When I had guests over he would get excited and loved to play, recently however he has started to growl at my friends and barks when someone gets close to me. Please help!

This is a typical scenario of an owner with good intentions inadvertently promoting territorial behaviour. A lot of people want a ‘guard dog’ but end up creating a monster that needs to be locked away even when trusted friends and family visit.

 It doesn’t have to be this way!

That’s right; you can have a friendly, sociable dog when visitors are around that will listen to you and respect your boundaries. Not only that, your dog will still protect your home from intruders because they are so good at reading intention. Your job is to set clear rules and make it easy for your dog to understand how you expect it to behave in various situations. In the hopes of helping you achieve this goal I have created the following 5 steps to follow:

1. Aggression is unacceptable

I always encourage people to never accept aggression from their pet. By not correcting aggressive behaviour you are telling your dog that it is acceptable to bark / bite your friends. Many people believe that by telling their dog not to be aggressive to strangers that they will blunt it’s effectiveness as a guard dog, this is simply not true.

It is imperative that you consistently correct aggressive behaviour and make sure your dog knows that it’s unacceptable.

2. Set rules boundaries and limitations

Does your dog charge to the door as soon as someone knocks? Does your beloved canine growl at someone when they get close to your bed? If so you should be making it clear that this type of behaviour is unacceptable. When your dog is engaging in an unwanted or antisocial behaviour make sure you tell it firmly no! They key here is to do it immediately and consistently. Another common mistake is to pet your animal during times of distress. Understand: this will only reinforce that type of behaviour – don’t do it!

3. Pay attention to the early signs

A stitch in time saves nine

The best method for rehabilitating territorial behaviour is to catch it early. Always pay attention to your dog’s behaviour. In particular watch for signs of aggression such as; growling, barking and mounting. If you see any of these signs then it’s time to step into action and practice those pack leader skills!

4. Dogs can sense intention

This is not so much a step as it is a concept to understand. Most dogs will have a natural instinct to protect their home. What most people don’t realise is that you can have a sweet-tempered and good natured dog to all visitors that will still protect you should an incident – such as burglary – occur. Don’t underestimate your dog’s ability to read intention and energy – they are much better at it then we are!

5. Build confidence through exercise and socialisation

Consistent exercise is great prevention for unwanted behaviours. Going for your daily walk is also an excellent opportunity to socialise your dog and teach it to not be afraid of everyday things.  

The human lesson

Any instance where you need to practice your pack leader skills is a great opportunity for personal growth. Our actions become our habits - by consistently practicing leadership and setting rules, boundaries and limitations you are reinforcing those positive habits for your daily life. One of the biggest paradigm shifts for me was learning to relish practicing my pack leader skills. This mindset is truly one of the greatest gifts we can be given from our loyal companions.

You just got home to find out that your Rottweiler has ripped up your couch again. Not only that, your neighbours have been giving you dirty looks lately because every time some kids walk past your house your dog becomes extremely territorial and won’t stop barking and lunging at them. The last time the couch incident happened you took the dog back to the shredded furniture, pointed at it and firm voice said ‘No! Bad dog!’

Has anything like this ever happened to you? If not, I’m willing to bet that someone you know has gone through similar problems at some point with their dog. In this scenario people tend to become emotional, often blaming the dog and trying to talk to or reason with it.

What many dog owners don’t realise is that:

Energy will be released in either a positive or negative way

While different breeds will have different levels of energy, it is inevitable that your dog will release that energy in one way or another. If your dog is getting regular exercise and its needs are being fulfilled, then it will be balanced and happy. If these needs are neglected though, that energy will turn into frustration - the cause of the couch incident - and may even escalate into aggression or possessiveness.

It is important to realise that you, as the owner, will directly influence whether your dog releases its energy in either a positive or negative manner.

Dogs need to walk. In the wild, a pack of dogs will migrate often, as a result, dogs will feel a strong instinctual desire to walk with its pack. Not only is the walk a great for exercise and draining energy, it is also an excellent source of happiness for your dog(s).

Missing its daily walk is likely to be the main source of your dogs unhappiness

What happens to excess energy? When a dog rips up your couch, whines when you leave or constantly digs holes in the garden it is communicating with you. It is telling you that it’s needs are not being fulfilled. Without a walk or some healthy activity to drain its energy, a dog will be unbalanced and unable to relax. This is when your dog is likely to engage in unhealthy behaviours as a way to release it’s built up frustration.

Understand; it is your responsibility to ensure that you are fulfilling your dogs needs. As the pack leader you are the determining factor to your packs happiness.

Correction has a very small window of opportunity

Being a good pack leader requires you to be vigilant. If your dog is engaging in an unwanted behaviour that you want to correct, then you must tell your dog immediatlly after it happens. Unfortunately 5 minutes after the incident is too late, dogs cannot rationalise like we can and if you try and correct a dog for something it did in the past it will only become confused.

Effective correction requires that you address the behaviour immediately and consistently. So when your dog misbehaves, bring it back to the spot pronto - this will help the dog understand what you expect from it.

The human lesson

One of the things that excites me so much about dog behaviour is the profound lessons we can learn for our own personal growth. The concept that energy will be released in either a positive or negative way is also true for humans. However instead of ripping up the couch or becoming dog aggressive when we don’t use our energy productively, we turn to drugs, alcohol, gambling or some other destructive behaviour.

There are loads of great websites on the net offering advice for self improvement or changing habits. However, if you’re not having much luck with previous methods you’ve tried, have you perhaps considered getting a dog?

By fulfilling the needs of your pack, you will also be fulfilling your own needs. A walk is not just beneficial for your dog, it is an excellent way to drain energy for humans also. When you demand discipline from your pack, you are also demanding discipline from yourself - by going through the daily motions of being an effective pack leader you will be reinforcing positive behaviours and beliefs within yourself.

Being a dog owner is a great way to release energy - in a positive way. Remember; the pack has the power to rehabilitate not only dogs, but also humans!