To fully understand your dog’s needs you must first understand how dogs have evolved and behave in the wild.

All dogs originate from the Wolf (Canis lupus) – yes even the adorable little Chihuahua  (who incidentally was originally trained as a killer, to seek out and kill rats and other vermin!). 

Wolves have existed for several hundreds of thousands of years, with some of the earliest remains found in North America dating to approximately 700,000 years ago.  Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) are direct descendants of the wolf.  Is it any wonder that all dogs still have very strong ‘wolf’ traits in their psychological make up?

Some of the most endearing character traits that our dogs have; intelligence, loyalty and courage are the same traits that wolves rely on to survive in the wild.

We often hear dog owners referring to their dog’s sixth sense – its uncanny ability to sense the energy of a situation or bad vibes from a person, this stems from the need of the wolf to interpret what is happening in their environment and determine which action to take; fight, flight, avoidance or submission.

Mankind has altered the appearance of dogs through selective breeding throughout the generations, producing many small and medium sized dogs such as; Maltese, Cavalier King Charles, Yorkshire Terrier, Shih Tzu, Cocker spaniel, Pomeranian, Dachshund and Beagles and large dogs such as; Labrador, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, Rottweiler, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Boxers, Bulldog English bulldog, Greyhound , Husky and Pitbulls.

However the domestic dog has inherited the same wolf pack instincts as its predecessors.  So what on the outside might appear as a furry, cuddly, four legged human, inside lies the heart and instincts of a wolf along with its fundamental need for working for food and water and being a follower in a pack led by the top dog ‘leader of the pack’!

In the wolf kingdom, a pack size can vary from 2 members up to approximately 12 individuals.  The size of a pack depends on the abundance of food (prey) in a territory.

There is a distinct pecking order among the pack with a distinct hierarchy led by the alpha male at the top with his mate the alpha female, followed by the other members of the pack in descending order of dominance.

Positions in a pack are constantly changing as the younger wolves challenge the superior wolves whenever an opportunity is presented.  In today’s world, this hierarchy is still a very strong instinct among domestic dogs and explains why it is necessary for dog owners to establish themselves as the ‘leader of the pack’ from the moment a dog or puppy is welcomed into the home. 

Establishing the 'Leader of the Pack' is a fundamental need for every dog.

Each animal has a role to play as a member of the team to ensure survival in the wild.  As such each member works together instinctively to carry out activities such as hunting, resting and sleeping.  At all times the alpha wolves eat first, taking the best part of the animal and eating until they have had their fill.  The other members of the pack then eat in order of their place in the pack.  Any leftover food is buried in a ‘store’ kept for when food made be scarce.  This burying instinct can be seen today every time you see your dog digging a hole or miming a covering up action (burying) when you give it a bone.

With domestic dogs, these instincts are still very much present.  In order to give our companions a balanced, fulfilled life we need to respect these fundamental instincts in terms of pack leadership and working for food and water.

Although we think of our companion as ‘Rover’, ‘Tinkerbell’ or ‘Sheba’, to better understand our companion we must first think of it as an animal, then as a dog, then in relation to its breed and lastly as your adorable pet ‘Rover’, ‘Tinkerbell’ or ‘Sheba’.

‘Tinkerbell’s’ ancestors were hard working dogs, part of a pack, and had a distinct job to do.  Treating our dogs as furry humans, giving only affection with no discipline or job to do will lead to an unfulfilled dog and ultimately problem behaviour.

Dogs like their wolf predecessors are very sociable and like to have their pack members around them at all times. 

This is also why they are so endearing to us as humans as they echo some of our own basic needs; contact with other humans and a sense of belonging!