“Why do dogs fight?” poses an intriguing question that has both fascinating and familiar answers. Fascinating and familiar because dogs fight for similar reasons that people do – territory, dominance, and the ever-present desire and claim to procreate. Of course, there are other reasons, but these lie at the core.
Interestingly, these reasons (territory, dominance, and procreation) for fighting are grounded in the quest for survival – a mission for existence that is governed by Natural Law. So, it is quite natural, however disconcerting, and problematic in the home environment, for dogs to fight. Dogs fight for the basic need to survive. You may say to yourself, “my dog has no need to ‘survive’ in my home. I provide him/her with all the basic needs - shelter, food, water, and affection. Why would he/she need to fight?”
While your argument appears to be reasonable, I must remind you that your dog’s survival instinct is deeply ingrained – necessarily so – because at one time, dog’s ancestors were required to engage in fighting to survive. Your dog perceives that he/she must fight to survive and without other informing knowledge, perception appears to be reality.
Still don’t understand? Let me attempt to further explain.
Dogs are pack animals, and as pack animals, hierarchy is and has always been, extremely important for survival. And before there were dogs, there were wolves – dog’s predecessors – also pack animals and governed by a strict pack hierarchy. Adherence to pack hierarchy is essential for wolves to hunt and survive as to conduct a successful hunt, every wolf within a pack must accomplish his/her job if the group as a whole is to avoid starvation and thrive.
Wolf pack hierarchy developed over time to include having a sole leader, or alpha wolf- the one in charge who runs the show. Farther on down the hierarchal structure below the alpha wolf, are the betas and omegas – all playing roles that are essential for successful hunting. If one member is being uncooperative – not going along with the program – it creates stress that compromises the ability of the pack to survive, and it is the leader’s job to fix the problem.
If the leader is unable to fix the problem, more stress ensues, the pack becomes disorganized and the productive members are compromised because the pack is now unable to feed itself. In time, anarchy can be the result.
If the leader is strong, the pack health is strong, and if the leader does not deal with the offender directly, a lower ranking wolf will usually step up to the plate. At times, the entire pack will take action, collectively. In any case, strong leadership, or the lack thereof, dictates the cause, effect, and solution – a solution that contains no elements of brutality or cruelty – determined solely by its resultant effectiveness.
Positioning within a pack hierarchal structure begins at birth as pups compete for a particular teat of the mother. At this early stage, the most dominant will use its strength to push and shove to feed from the most desirous teat. The rest of the pups do the same until each has claim to a teat. If there are more pups that teats, the least capable will oftentimes starve to death.
Once the pups open their eyes, the hierarchy that was established in the few days of life can change as interactive playing begins. In fact, play that looks like innocent rough housing actually contains, at its core, very serious and lasting lessons in survival. More importantly for the pack, playing behavior between pups further establishes hierarchy and status within the group.
During games of play – chasing and play fighting – pups figure out their individual, lifelong positioning within their group of siblings. In addition, through play they learn how to communicate with each other and hunt. That is why, as a dog owner and the leader of the pack, it’s imperative to utilize play as a valuable and non-confrontational tool to establish the rules and hierarchy of your own pack. The Natural Law Evolved™ Canine Training Program, specifically designed with an in-depth understanding of this and other Natural Law principles and behaviors, can serve as a valuable means to help you accomplish this important goal.
In the final analysis, it’s important to recognize that dogs are the domesticated version of their cousins, the wolf. They communicate in much the same way, and they are governed internally – also similar to the wolf. Although the dogs’ edges have been somewhat softened by domestication, the rough core still exits. Dogs fight for the same reasons as wolves – territory, dominance, and procreation – even though the reality of their circumstances of existence does not really warrant a battle.
As a human, you are by default the presumed leader of your pack. Unfortunately, in this case, as a human, you are also much more domesticated than your dog, and may not be keenly aware of primal drives. In general, humans have erroneously convinced themselves that intelligence trumps all that is based on the hormonal or physiological. They believe that they have revolved beyond the primary – broke the chains that bind others to a primitive base.
If this were true, the planet would not be plagued by crime, wars, starvation etc. and I submit that it’s never productive or wise to give into any form of delusion of grandeur. If humans are to re-connect with themselves and their canine companions, it is time to engage in an open, humble, and honest conversation about the forces of Natural Law while utilizing the highly evolved human brain as a tool to understand and capitalize on these laws.
Natural Law Evolved™ is key in this endeavor, as it has done the work for you. In development for four decades, it applies scientific techniques that are proven to be effective. It teaches you how to re-establish yourself as the leader of your pack through natural methods that your dog will quickly understand. As the pack leader, it is your job to fix problems by dictating solutions. Natural Law Evolved™ uniquely marries proven canine training techniques with a deep understanding of canine behavior to provide you with comprehensive, solid, and long-lasting solutions to your canine problems.
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