dogs, horses, kids (and women ... a joke) any pack animal, and yes humans are a pack animal, want a clear definition of the hierarchy inside the pack. To have success you first have to make sure it is clear in YOUR head and the dogs that YOU are the alpha. Heavy handedness alone will not get you this spot and many people miss that point. Dogs, kids, horses and women want to be punished when they screw up, it not only hopefully solves the problem but re-asserts you as the leader. Most problems with a pack of dogs, a marriage, a work place, or a country can be traced back to an unclear definition of who is in charge! Fairness goes a long way too. In apes, a big male can be alpha on force alone, but once the strength is gone, he is overthrown. If he was un-fair or brutal in his reign he is either killed or shunned, but if an alpha ape was fair he is allowed to stay with the pack at a lower rank.
Dogs do warm to some people more than others, I don't think it is a gift, or some psychic power. Its all in body language, how you walk to a dog, your voice, your role in the pack, past experience with you etc. Its a tight rope walk between confidence, leadership, punishment, and careing. We can all learn to have this "gift", and it should be something that every dog man is working on everyday.
Agreed and very well said...but, to me, it doesn't explain situations like the one I described in ny original post. This gyp is a very "alpha" type dog, hell she even hikes her leg to pee and will go mark after another dog uses the bathroom:D. The gyp and my daughter had never seen each other before and that was their first encounter.
It's these "one off" encounters that people get to witness that sometimes bring their attention to a possible "animal whisperer"
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