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This may be outdated now, but I read a lot of canine behavioral research when I got my (late) dog about 16 years ago. She was a white German Shepherd Dog named

This may be outdated now, but I read a lot of canine behavioral research when I got my (late) dog about 16 years ago. She was a white German Shepherd Dog named Stella, and I miss the hell out of her. One recurring theme was a dog's role in their "pack" (in the case of pets, the humans and other pets they live with). A dog who understands that their owner is the "alpha" will bark as a warning to them. Example: It was recommended that, if a dog barked at the door when someone knocked/rang owners praised their dog—"Good warning, thank you!" (and maybe a treat)—and then re-engage them quickly with another command ("sit!") if you choose not to investigate. They'd ostensibly come to learn that their single bark was their job. I did this with Stella, and whenever someone came to the door, she barked once, ran to me, and sat down, because she learned I may or may not answer it, and her job was done. If someone was lurking, she'd bark, run to me, go back to where she saw the person, and if they were still there, this would repeat, regardless of praise. It stood out as unusual, and research suggested that that's what she wanted me to know. "This is different, boss! Come look!" I used this concept in all her training and interactions; humans were her betters, and I was her alpha. Pack animals (it was said) got anxiety when the pecking order wasn't clear to them. That anxiety causes all sorts of what we call "problem behavior" (barking excessively, chewing/scratching at the door when their human leaves the house, rushing through open doors, etc.). She was the most loving, fun, hard-working, peaceful, well-behaved dog I ever owned, and I believe it was coming to view our family as (from her canine perspective) her pack that made her training and integration into our lives such a success.

Pica_soO 8y ago
Your post was a oasis of rational emotions in a dessert of anthropomorphizing sob-storys. Thank you.
- Pica_soO 8y ago
  Yeah, downvote until the truth goes away. You built a socially isolating society, and replaced the missing company with a animal, that has to be it all- your spouse, your decedent. And instead of fixing the issue, you gather in groups and declare this sad state of affairs the new normal. To go to the dogs redefined.
  - sctb 8y ago
    We've asked you many times not to post unsubstantively here, so we've banned the account.
TACIXAT 8y ago
Dominance theory and the alpha pack stuff is very outdated. It sounds like you had a great relationship with your dog though. Giving them a job (warning), redirecting the behavior (barking with sit) so it doesn't carry on.
- spdustin 8y ago
  It may be so—as I suggested. :) FWIW (anecdata warning) two of my friends have since owned dogs, training them using the same concepts. Perhaps it's a combination of breed (some breeds may retain more of their evolutionary pack awareness than others) and the specific sorts of training exercises (e.g. make them sit and wait when a door is opened, allowing the humans to go first and then say "okay" when the dog can go through), but their dogs are always held up as exemplars of "good dogs" when the topic comes up. No anxiety, no destructive chewing, no excessive barking, o impatience, no bolting… Every lesson and interaction was predicated on the dog's position in the hierarchy of the human family ("pack"), and the only "tool" used outside of verbal and hand commands was a tasty treat (no clickers, no shock collars, no halters, no spray bottles, no physical discipline, etc.) Crates were used, but never as a form discipline or "convenience holding". That was their safe place to sleep and eat, and that's it. I guess what I'm saying is: if the theory is outdated, a lot of the concepts that informed the training regimen that I learned back are effective today. "They're good dogs, Brent."

Pica_soO 8y ago

Your post was a oasis of rational emotions in a dessert of anthropomorphizing sob-storys. Thank you.

Pica_soO 8y ago
Yeah, downvote until the truth goes away. You built a socially isolating society, and replaced the missing company with a animal, that has to be it all- your spouse, your decedent. And instead of fixing the issue, you gather in groups and declare this sad state of affairs the new normal. To go to the dogs redefined.
- sctb 8y ago
  We've asked you many times not to post unsubstantively here, so we've banned the account.

TACIXAT 8y ago

Dominance theory and the alpha pack stuff is very outdated. It sounds like you had a great relationship with your dog though. Giving them a job (warning), redirecting the behavior (barking with sit) so it doesn't carry on.

spdustin 8y ago
It may be so—as I suggested. :) FWIW (anecdata warning) two of my friends have since owned dogs, training them using the same concepts. Perhaps it's a combination of breed (some breeds may retain more of their evolutionary pack awareness than others) and the specific sorts of training exercises (e.g. make them sit and wait when a door is opened, allowing the humans to go first and then say "okay" when the dog can go through), but their dogs are always held up as exemplars of "good dogs" when the topic comes up. No anxiety, no destructive chewing, no excessive barking, o impatience, no bolting… Every lesson and interaction was predicated on the dog's position in the hierarchy of the human family ("pack"), and the only "tool" used outside of verbal and hand commands was a tasty treat (no clickers, no shock collars, no halters, no spray bottles, no physical discipline, etc.) Crates were used, but never as a form discipline or "convenience holding". That was their safe place to sleep and eat, and that's it. I guess what I'm saying is: if the theory is outdated, a lot of the concepts that informed the training regimen that I learned back are effective today. "They're good dogs, Brent."