Your Canine's
Sense of Smell

A much larger part of a dog’s brain is devoted to processing smells than yours. Some search dogs locate people buried under the snow of avalanches, search for evidence in crime, and find people in the water. Cloudy days, mornings, and evenings are the best times for dogs to search. And depending on the conditions, dogs can pick up a scent up to a half a mile away!

Learn more about dog senses, training and agility at this free dog agility teleseminar.

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Basic Dog Pack Behavior

Dogs are social creatures who, in natural circumstances live in groups organized by dominance. Even after being domesticated and bred to meet particular human needs (hunting, herding, guarding, etc.), dogs retain the pack mentality – they expect to live with others and in a hierarchical, not egalitarian, group. If either of these expectations are not met, either because the dog is never really made an active part of the family (by being kept in the backyard and not trained or played with), or because the family does not teach the dog his place in the human “pack”, the dog will be unhappy,

confused and destructive; even dangerous. Having a dog entails socializing him, teaching him the rules of the household, and expecting him to live by them. Having a dog also means making yourself the “alpha”, or leader, of the pack, because if you don’t, your dog will assume control instead. It isn’t necessarily that dogs will take advantage; it’s just that dogs believe strongly that there must be a leader. If you’re not the leader, the alpha position automatically reverts to your pet. If you’ve met someone who can’t leave the dog alone for fear of what will happen to the house, the postman or the children; who can’t walk the dog because the dog “takes off”; or who can’t control the dog’s barking and jumping on people, you have met someone who did not take the alpha position with the dog and is suffering the consequences.

Being the “alpha” in the pack doesn’t mean having sole control as much as it means having sole responsibility. Your dog relies on you for food, socialization, exercise and companionship. The greater community relies on you to teach your dog how to behave around other people and animals. If you fail in teaching your dog adequate social behaviors, you wind up being held responsible by the community: in cases where owners have allowed their dogs to chase cars or delivery-persons, the owners are the ones who end up paying fines, or in court. Dogs whose needs for companionship and training have not been addressed may destroy property or bark all the time they are alone, creating resentment in landlords and neighbors.

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