Privileges of Rank

If we have children in the house we treat them equally. We don’t play favourites. It’s plain wrong. Children who are brought up in households where favouritism is practised can be damaged for life. It can lead to feelings of isolation, an inferiority complex and a lack of self-belief.

So what about our dogs? Should they all be treated equally? Is there any difference? Now, this is where things get confusing. You see there is a major difference between humans and canines.

Dogs are not children although it is amazing how many people treat their pets as if they are substitute children. Therefore it is not surprising that so many pets end up with behaviour problems.

Dogs are pack animals

So why should we treat our dogs differently than children? It’s because dogs are pack animals and regardless of centuries of domestication they retain the pack instinct. Now before we go any further let’s deal with the obvious question that you are asking. Why is it that in my household where I treat my dogs equally I get away with it and have no problems?

That can be answered easily.

In your house, none are natural Alpha dogs  (Top Dogs) and are content with their lot but for those of you who have problems then the issue may well be that old perennial,  Privileges of Rank.

First of all, what is a top dog, and how do we recognise one? Well, it tends to be the one who has been there the longest, also the oldest. It will not necessarily have anything to do with height. A Jack Russell terrier can easily dominate a Bull Mastiff, despite the disparity in size. The Napoleon complex is not confined to humans! It’s all to do with personality. Dogs rarely think in terms of size. Small dogs in particular think that they are all Rottweilers.

So how do Privileges of Rank work?

It shows that you respect the hierarchy of the pack, the leader doesn’t feel threatened by those from the lower order and the lower order ones are not encouraged to challenge the leader and harmony reigns. How do we reinforce this?

It’s all very simple. The leader receives everything first. He is greeted first, the food bowl goes down first, goes through the door first, gets out of the car first and has the first choice out of the toy pile, in fact, everything is done first. Now we have to face the problem of what to do if our new dog wants to take over from the older dog that we have had for years. Well harsh as this sounds you need to accept the inevitable. By interfering with the natural order of things you may cause considerable conflict as you try to keep the status quo.

If it occurs the one thing that you have to deal with is bullying. How do you recognise it?

The initial signs can be growling, hackles raised (hair on the back of the neck) ears forward, and slowly stalking. I suggest that if you believe you have an issue with bullying then you need professional assistance. Do not attempt to deal with this unless you are very experienced and absolutely sure that you know what you are doing. The reason for this is that bullying like many problems must be accurately diagnosed. Failure to do this may lead you to embark on a totally ineffective and damaging course of behaviour realignment, both for you and your dogs.

If tranquillity reigns in your house do nothing, if privileges of rank apply accept it but if bullying is occurring get help.