Passage II

Leader of the Pack

Customers call me a dog trainer, but really I train people—to treat their dogs like dogs. Dogs you see are pack animals. And every pack has a pecking order, with one member clearly at the top, as you might be able to imagine.

One of my clients, Andrew, had a young Irish setter named Red. Who had never been taught any commands. Red barked incessantly when Andrew left home, jumped on Andrew's guests, and begged for table scraps. Andrew had treated Red as an equal, letting her lounge on his couch, sleep on his bed, and eating whenever he wanted.

All this made Red believe she was the top dog. However, canines associate physically high perches with authority, so giving her couch and bed rights immediately got things off on the wrong paw. Additionally, in a dog pack the leader eats first (while the others wait), so Andrew's behavior confused Red further. Andrew left her illusions intact when he did not teach her any commands.

[1] Thus to Red, it seemed unnecessary and unessential to heed Andrew's “No!” but she considered him her underling. [2] As pack leader, she felt obliged to assert her authority from visitors by jumping up to put her paws on their shoulders. [3] She did the best she could, barking nonstop to try to call him back. [4] Likewise, a pack leader must care for the other pack members, but how could Red watch over Andrew when he was away?（26）

When I first began working with him, Andrew found it hard to discipline his dog. To teach Red that “No!” means no, firmness was needed. Andrew eventually learned it was effective, and not unkind, to leash Red for a few minutes after she misbehaved.

If he were to ask Red to sit or stay became easy for Andrew once he saw how much she enjoyed following orders, for pack members take pride in their work. Red initially resisted giving up the couch and bed, but once she saw that, Andrew was truly in charge, she acquiesced. No doubt Red sleeps better now, knowing that someone is taking care of her, instead of the other way around.