Canine Submission

This Siberian Husky displays trust in the dominant figure by exposing his delicate underbelly and throat. 

No, there's not any puppy play here. . . . . . . Definitely NOT my thing. I train dogs, and I absolutely love to do so. Dogs are, by natural, very submissive. There are "alpha" dogs, but a dog naturally seeks out a leader. If there isn't a leader, then the dog will put himself in charge. It's not a position that a dog likes to be in, but it's a job that's gotta be done.

I have a rather unexpected and recent addition to my small "pack". . . . a German Shepherd mix puppy that is an absolute natural disaster. Chaos follows in her wake, yet she's superbly house-trained, doesn't chew on furniture, and doesn't bite. Her energy levels are through the roof, and when channeled correctly, those levels will make her a top-notch working dog.

I have a 3 year old female American Pit Bull Terrier who is the most laid-back, well-mannered dog. She is close to non-shakeable, not dog aggressive, and enjoys a good time.

The pack order here used to be very clear. KYOTKGUY, then me, then my pit bull, then my roommate. While I know that the dog should rank below all human pack members, my roommate refuses to take a dominant stance with the dog.

Ok, so, interject a rambunctious puppy into the above pack order. All of a sudden, things get shaken up. KYOTKGUY tolerates the pup. . . . for now. I work diligently with the puppy, and work to channel her working drive. I rank above both dogs, below KYOTKGUY.  My roommate allows the puppy to walk all over her, so she's again at the bottom of the small pack.

My pit bull, however, quickly asserted herself. This youngster was NOT going to parade through here like she owned the place. The puppy bounced up to my pit, demanding play and attention without asking permission.

That is something that you just don't do in a dog pack. Younger dogs should naturally submit to older dogs, requesting permission via body language to interact. This pup far bypassed all the preliminaries, and demanded attention.

Like any good alpha, my female pit (who has had several litters of pups) quickly metted out memorable discipline by flipping the pup over on her back and pinning her there. Once let up, the pup apologetically licked the older dog's muzzle and laid politely at her feet. (That flip and pin technique is actually one that you can use with your dog to assert your dominance, but it must be done carefully with a dog who is currently alpha. He may or may not assume you're challenging his rank. It the equivalent of bending someone over your hip and giving a few hearty swats. There are no preliminaries, prelude, or ritual and it's on-the-spot, impromptu discipline.)

This older dog puts this puppy in her place. There's no telling which boundary she overstepped, but she is quickly shown it's not acceptable.

To tell y'all the truth, I really don't know what I'm rambling about. . . . . merely that watching the give and take of power shift in my own small familial pack is very interesting. Watching a pack of dogs interact provides such valuable insight into submission due to the very instincts and nature of the animals involved. (I'm not saying that people are animals. . . . . merely that the qualities and expression of submission may/can directly transfer.)

Anywho, that's my thought for the day. :-)