When to be Bossy

There are three critical activities during which human leadership will convince a dog the humans are in charge; during feeding times, on the walk and during shared activities such as play.

Canine instinctive knowledge creates some necessary meal-time rules. The pack leader eats first, undisturbed by the rest of the pack. Failing to understand this is the source of many dog behavior problems. In the canine mind subordinates share their food with more dominant pack members on demand. If we share our food while we are eating, we‘re telling our dogs we are subordinate. A dominant dog will require a subordinate to keep its distance while the dominant one eats. If the dominant dog is willing to share, it will leave some behind when it’s finished and the subordinate dog is free to scavenge the remains. For those of us who insist on sharing human food with dogs, if we wait until we’re finished and leave some behind for the dog we can avoid declaring a subordinate status.

Those people who use automatic feeding devices so their dogs can eat at their whim are making a serious error for their own convenience. In the dog’s mind, possession is control. When the dog is free to possess food whenever it wishes, then it controls the food. Dominance controls, therefore the dog must see itself as dominant. The most obvious clue to this canine attitude is the fact that food aggression only occurs after the dog possesses the food. The dog stands over its bowl and warns others to keep their distance. If we provide enough food for a single meal only, the dog sees that we possess and control the food and therefore we are dominant.

When the pack is in motion, dogs take leadership very literally. If we walk our dogs with them in front and us following, they believe they are the leaders and in control. Taking control away from the dog by making them stay beside us makes us the leader in the dog’s eyes. When the dog believes it is the leader, it also believes it is their job to respond to possible threats, challengers or prey. This is why so many dogs lunge at other dogs or take off after cats, squirrels, etc. When confronted with these conditions, the dog believes whoever takes control is in charge. When a dog lunges at these targets, we must gain control of the dog’s mind and require them to choose a different action in order to convince them we are in control.

When we are engaged in an activity that the dog wishes to join in, we must also control how and when they participate. These are all moments when the big and bossy posture is a positive tool for displaying dominance. A dog’s behavior is always based on who it perceives as being in control and the proper posture at the right moment will convey the message of how we perceive our own status compared to the dogs.