The Wolf Pack

AMAZING FACT : there is only a 1% genetic difference between a wolf and a domestic dog. Read below to find out more.

It is now generally agreed that the ancestor of the modern dog is the wolf. What is not clear is how long the domestication process has been going on. It may have been as short as 10,000 years or as long as 50,000 years. No matter how long it has been, the process of domestication - where our ancestors removed the 'wildness' from the wolf - involved thousands of years of selective breeding. They took an animal that could well have seen them as food, and through selective breeding, produced an animal that became their best ally.

In this process, our ancestors produced hundreds of different-looking dogs. These various "breeds" - as we now know them - were developed for a particular task or tasks. Whether it was hunting for large prey, exterminating vermin, guarding, herding, being a companion or a foot warmer, each breed fulfilled a set of needs in the society in which it was developed.

So what does this mean for my dog?

The result is that each breed is not only different to look at, but also has a unique mind-set which relates very much to the task(s) it was bred to perform. That explains why some dogs are 'natural hunters' and some are 'better with children'. However, our dogs also retain most of their wolf-like characteristics, including their pack mentality. This includes - and this is the important bit - their need to either LEAD or TO BE LED. Today, as we 'train our dogs', we need to be aware of both the unique mind-set of our particular breed and the basic pack mentality, the wolf-like traits, which still dominate our dogs' thinking. As you will see if you speak with Rebecca, this 'dog-training' is actually 'human training'; teaching you how to get the best from them by using THEIR language, not ours.

Selective breeding did not change the basic internal psychology of the wolf. As a result, the pack mentality of modern dogs is no different - or very little different - from their ancestor, the wolf. Modern dogs grow and function (and malfunction) in very much the same way as the wolf.

The myth of the dangerous dog

What you must absolutely know is that dogs are NOT DANGEROUS; including Rottweilers. Dobermans, Pitt Bull Terriers, etc. If your dog is threat to you, your neighbours or your children it is because the dog is reacting to perceived threats in it's mind that you are not currently aware of. YOU (and only YOU) can change that. The chances are that you do not have a psychotic dog but you are - no matter how uncomfortable it may be think it - encouraging that dog to be aggressive. There are very few exceptions to this (i.e. mentally ill dogs) so be assured that your dog can react positively to a change in your behaviour.

Take the initiative today and contact Rebecca. There's no obligation and what you glean from 10 minutes on the phone could lead to a relationship with your dog that brings you even more happiness than you already get.