Be Pack leader and still learn from your dogs

You can get a lot of help from your dogs.  Your dogs will instinctively protect their pack from instability.  They will also instinctively protect their calm-assertive pack leader from this negative energy.  Most stable dogs know that stability of the pack is essential for their survival.  Dogs can not be constantly fighting for dominance or breaking from the pack routine.  For thousands of years dogs have used their innate ability to live within a stable pack as an advantage over less successful species.  This should make it clear that dogs understand the importance of being in a pack and the importance of keeping the pack healthy.  They also understand the importance of the pack leader and will go to great lengths to keep the pack leader safe and free to lead.

It was such a long day following the Pack Leader

You can see behavior like this often at the dog park or in your home when bringing an unstable dog into the mix.  The other dogs will rally around the pack leader and warn the unstable dog.  Often it is just do that is unfamiliar with the pack rules and how to approach and interact with the pack.  Certain dogs, especially younger ones, tend to be unschooled in back etiquette but tend to learn quickly if the other dogs are persistent.

The biggest obstacle I have seen lately when taking I try to be pack leader for my dogs and the dog park is the dogs staring each other down through the fence.  For some dogs it seems to be a territorial thing and for others more fun or play when they race up and down the on each side of fence.  It is a challenge to get certain dogs to pay attention to the pack leader when when there are dogs to run with on the other side of the fence. 


I also have noticed that a recent addition to my pack tends to become more playful and a bit more aggressive at the dog park.  He is young and loves to play but has yet to take his well adjusted in home pack behavior to the park.  I am working on keeping him a bit more calm and more focused on me rather than all of the smells, sounds and other dogs.  It is taking a while but I am seeing progress daily and soon expect him to be fully adjusted and enjoying calm yet fun trips to the dog park.