Why Dogs Need A Leader

Posted on February 10, 2025 by Lucy Parkes in Uncategorized

Why Dogs Need a Leader – Parent, Provider, and Protector 

Similar to their wild ancestors, dogs flourish in environments that provide structure and clearly defined roles within their social group. In a domestic context, this necessitates the human family assuming the role of leader, encompassing responsibilities as parent, provider, and protector. This leadership role is essential for ensuring a dog’s well-being, behaviour, and overall happiness. This article will examine the importance of adopting the parent, provider, and protector framework for the benefit of our canine companions.

Leader

Dogs are pack animals by nature, and in a pack, there are leaders. The leaders provide direction, establish rules, and maintain peace. Without a clear leader, a dog can become anxious, confused, and may develop behavioural problems. As the leader, an owner must be calm, consistent and in control. This doesn’t mean being harsh or punitive; rather, it involves gently enforcing boundaries and providing guidance.

The Importance of Leadership

  • Security: An effective leader instils a sense of security in a dog. When the dog understands that someone else is in charge, it can relax and refrain from feeling the need to take control.
  • Behaviour: Dogs with a clear leader are less likely to develop behavioural problems such as reactivity, aggression, separation anxiety, or excessive barking. They are also more likely to walk calmly beside their owner when asked and return promptly when called.
  • Instruction: Successful instruction is achieved when the dog recognises and respects the leader. Consequently, directions and guidance are more likely to be followed.

Parent

The role of a parent goes beyond providing basic needs; it encompasses nurturing, teaching, and guiding the dog through various stages of life. Like a human child, a dog depends on its parent for emotional support and learning appropriate social behaviours.

The Nurturing Aspect

  • Bonding: Being a nurturing parent strengthens the bond between the dog and the owner. This bond is crucial for mutual trust and affection.
  • Socialisation: An attentive parent understands their unique dog’s tolerance for stress and ensures that their dog is exposed to the appropriate level of stimulus and social experiences, according to their age, breed and mental/physical/emotional capabilities.
  • Emotional Support: Dogs experience emotions similar to humans. A caring parent provides comfort and support in the right way, during times of stress, fear, or uncertainty.

Provider

Providing for a dog goes beyond just food and water; it includes ensuring that all physical, mental, and emotional needs are met. A well-provided dog is a healthy and happy dog.

Comprehensive Care

  • Nutrition: Providing a balanced, minimally processed diet, tailored to the dog’s age, size, and health needs is fundamental for their well-being.
  • Exercise: Regular physical activity is essential for maintaining a dog’s mental and physical health and preventing obesity and related diseases.
  • Engagement: Calm and positive interaction with your dog ensures they feel valued and secure in your family unit.
  • Healthcare: Understanding your dog’s nutritional requirements, minimising exposure to chemicals and toxins, and managing their exposure to potentially overwhelming situations can contribute to a healthy, happy, and longer life for your dog.

Protector

While dogs are known to protect their owners instinctively, they also require protection. This role involves ensuring the dog’s safety and well-being in various situations.

Ensuring Safety

  • Physical Safety: Protecting the dog from physical harm, whether it’s from other animals, vehicles, or hazardous environments, is paramount.
  • Emotional Safety: Creating a safe and stable home environment where the dog feels secure and not exposed to constant stress or fear.
  • Advocacy: Being the dog’s advocate in situations where they cannot speak for themselves, such as during veterinary visits or interactions with other people and animals.

Conclusion

Some individuals aim to discredit the Pack Leader Theory, but it is important to recognise that an animal reliant on a human for survival requires specific behaviours from their caregiver, which align with the leadership role. Being an effective leader for your dog is beneficial for their well-being. It is important to approach this leadership with kindness, efficacy, and compassion, much like how good parenting provides guidance and boundaries for a child’s safety. Unlike children, who may eventually become independent and take on leadership roles, domestic dogs will depend on their human caregivers throughout their entire lives.

Pack theory has been criticised due to its misinterpretation and misuse by certain trainers and behaviourists. Leadership should not involve domineering actions or punitive measures. Rather, it should be based on trust, respect, and mutual benefit. A leader is someone who understands what actions to take in various situations. They are knowledgeable and make decisions that help ensure the safety of the group. A leader must earn the trust and respect of those they lead by consistently demonstrating their suitability for the role. An effective leader considers the well-being of the group and may prioritize the group’s needs over their own.

Jan Fennell’s approach is a holistic method based on understanding the dynamics of animals living in groups. By observing wolf packs and other group-living animals, including humans, it becomes evident that effective leadership is essential for the survival of the pack. In these groups, each member has a role, but leaders typically make critical decisions due to their greater experience. For example, in a human family, it is generally the adults who make important decisions rather than the children.

Twenty years ago, upon receiving Jan’s book, I was delighted to learn about an approach to living with dogs that emphasises kindness and understanding rather than authoritarian methods or reliance on excessive training. The way we interact with our dogs on a daily basis significantly influences their development. Our actions and responses to their needs and requirements shape their behaviour as they mature, driven by the principles of survival.

Fulfilling the roles of leader – parent, provider, and protector – is important for the well-being of a dog. Each element contributes to a balanced relationship between the dog and its owner. When these roles are effectively fulfilled, dogs tend to be more cooperative and well-adjusted. The time and effort invested in these roles are returned with loyalty and companionship from happy, healthy dogs.


Dog Training Norwich – It’s a dog’s (and cat’s) life

Posted on February 4, 2022 by DogsInTranslation in Dog Training, Uncategorized

Dog Training Norwich

Its a dog’s (and cat’s) life

It is perfectly possible for many dogs and cats to coexist in harmony! Even a dog who is showing aggression towards cats or a cat who is fearful of dogs, can be taught to remain calm and exhibit self-control in each other’s company. We need to be prepared to make some changes to how we live with them and put in the necessary time and energy to gain their trust, respect and cooperation. They don’t need to be best buddies – although I have come across many who have gone on to become just that. All that we require from them is that they do respect each other’s personal space and refrain from winding one another up! 

Dog Trainer Norfolk - Dog aggression towards cats

Daisy (spaniel) and Monty (chihuahua) were both very unsure of the cat (and just about everything else!) when they first came to live with us. Both had a previous history of ‘going for’ other animals and both would have reacted aggressively towards her, if we hadn’t managed things carefully. Now they all coexist peacefully.

Unfortunately, for many dogs and cats living together is an absolute nightmare! Both parties can feel very insecure and threatened and this leads to a constant battle of wits and wills as they attempt to occupy the same, relatively small space, of our homes.

The cat enters the room. She knows he’s in here somewhere, but where? She slinks and scurries in a way that betrays her apprehension and concern and the dog who spots her immediately, charges over to see what’s going on. The cat runs, seeking higher ground or an exit from the house. “Great result” thinks the dog. “I got rid of the cat!” and a strategy for cat management is formed.

A little later on the dog is happily ambling around when suddenly something sharp and spiky clobbers him on the back of the head, accompanied by a loud hissing noise! “Ouch!” Yelps the dog, as he scampers away, and looking back over his shoulder sees two yellow eyes glaring down at him from the safety of a chair.

And so it begins, and both animals go on to consistently reconfirm, through their behaviour towards one another, that they really are a threat.

Breaking this cycle of anxiety involves time, patience and good management. Both cat and dog must gently be shown to leave each other alone. Being conscious of what is going on between them at all times, is essential. The message is ‘You don’t need to worry. I’m keeping an eye on things’. This must be backed up with the right kind of action and response, preferably before an altercation occurs and certainly during and after. If either the dog or the cat makes a move on the other, you must step in and calmly redirect them. The cat must see you looking out for her and the dog must know you’ve got his back!

Initially it’s important to restrict the interactions between the dog and the cat, to times when you are there to monitor and manage what is going on. Leaving them to their own devices will only strengthen their concern and anxiety, as they continue to have altercations. It’s really important to resist the temptation to shout or show your agitation if there is a kerfuffle, as this is likely to increase levels of tension and feed into the problem!

As always, it’s important that the ‘back-drop’ to life together, is one of general calm and cooperation. A dog who believes that he is the decision-maker in your home, is much more likely to believe that he should decide if the cat stays or goes. He will also find it harder to trust your decisions about – and management of – the situation. A cat who is used to receiving your undivided attention and has you trained military fashion to cater to her every need, is much more likely to object to a dogs presence.

Sometimes, when things are really bad we will need to spend time doing some specific work with our cat and dog, to help them to accept living alongside each other. If you have a situation where the dog literally wants to eat the cat (or vice versa!) it’s a good idea to seek the assistance of a Recommended Dog Listener, to ensure that you create an environment where the necessary training can be carried out safely, correctly and effectively. Please contact me or visit Jan Fennell to find a Recommended Dog Listener in your area.

By calmly and consistently interacting with all of our animals, in a way that inspires trust respect and cooperation, we can gently guide them through all of life’s inevitable challenges and ensure peaceful and harmonious family groups. Contact Lucy Parkes – Dog Trainer Norfolk – for more canine inspiration and dog behaviour advice.

 


Dog Training Norwich – Why should I?

Posted on May 7, 2020 by DogsInTranslation in Dog Training, Uncategorized

Dog Training Norwich

Why should I?

Remembering that our dogs are not actually obliged to cooperate with us, can empower us and place us in a much more influential position. When we tell ourselves that our dog should walk to heel, should come when called and should be friendly towards other dogs (to mention a few) we effectively create a big gap between where we are and where we want to be. Living with this gap can be extremely uncomfortable for both you and your dog! IMG_20130709_234232

‘Should’ can be seen as a rather unhelpful word and sometimes just replacing it with ‘Could’ can make all the difference! ‘My dog could walk to heel’ feels so much more hopeful and full of possibility! Words are incredibly powerful and the words that we repeat to ourselves about our lives and the situations and circumstances within it, can become like mantras that shape and impact our perceptions and reactions.

‘Should’ can keep us stuck in resistance, in a place where nothing is ever quite as it should be. As the saying goes – ‘what we resist persists’ and the more we resist what is, the more we can dig ourselves into a problem! My dog should do this, my dog should do that and I should be in control! Where did all these ‘shoulds’ come from!?

Much like us, all dogs are different. Different parents, different births and different formative experiences with their litter mates and the world around them. All these variables are what create the diversity of personality that dog owners the world over have delighted in for many thousands of years.

On a survival level, a group of diverse personalities can work really well. It means that there are a variety of different skill sets available, to fulfil different roles and situations. Put simply, different life experiences create different creatures with differing capabilities. Not better or worse capabilities, just different, and everyone has something special and unique to offer to the group.

When we honour these differences we can work together in harmony, and for the benefit of all. If we replace ‘should’ with ‘could’ we can bypass resistance and free up both inner and outer space. A world of possibilities now becomes available to us as the Universe conspires to bring helpful people and situations into our lives, and we are able to co-create – with our dogs and everyone else around us – the peace and joy filled lives that we all desire.