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Why do we need to educate our dog
When we are greeted by our dog, we feel as if the dog is man's (or woman's) best friend. Our dog is happy to see us; it wags its tail, runs around us, licks us and sometimes jumps on us.
Is that a show of affection, or is it something else?
The dog is a pack animal and possesses four instincts:
· hunting
· territorial
· social
· sexual (reproductive).
These four instincts are the basis for good communication and for normal pack living. Each pack is built on a hierarchy. In nature a clear and stable hierarchy contributes to the survivor and the security of the pack members. In order to maintain a good social interaction in the pack, there must be clear communication between all pack members.
Domestic dogs have the same instincts and basic behavior as their relatives in nature, they see us, the humans, as part of their pack.
Education which is based on understanding the dog's natural behavior and which considers the dog's needs, will allow the dog to understand its place in the pack, just like in nature, and thus to respect us and listen to us.
The dog education also covers other important issues such as:
* the arrival of a new baby to the family
* dogs and children
* a dog with a disruptive behavior (like howling and annoying the neighbors)
* a dog that runs away
* a dog which is aggressive toward other dogs or toward people etc.
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