You are here:

Canine Behavior/Of wolves and men

Advertisement

Expert: Lee Charles Kelley - 10/13/2008


Question

As a puppy
Hi, I have a wolfdog (female) and she does not like men. She loves my husband and  likes (if there quiet)little kids but wont come near a man. If she sees one in the house she'll bark and howl at him. This also applies at the dogpark. I've started her on a training program (have a bunch of different men give her treats)and that is working. I was wondering though why would she not like men in the first place? She had a good puppyhood and my husband has never spanked her or anything like that. Shes really protective of me but I can't see how that would effect her like of men. Thanks for reading

Answer
Hi, Raya,

Thanks for the question.

It's difficult to know for sure why this is so. One factor may be that dogs see us alternately as pack mates (like when we take them for walks, feed them, and hang out at home), prey animals (like when we play games with them), and predators (like when we act cross or show them who's "boss").

In terms of the three, the main component of the preyed-upon feelings dogs have toward us is based on the level of gaze we have with them (or "over" them), which is roughly the same as that of the level of gaze between them and a wolf's only natural predator: deer, moose, bison, and the like. (It may seem oxymoronic that wolves see these animals as both prey and predator, but the fact is that deer, moose, etc., are the only animals that pose any real danger to a wolf). And since most men are taller than most women, it's not uncommon for a lot of dogs to develop more of a fear reaction to men. (Men also have a tendency to be less "soft" and nurturing than women in certain discrete ways that dogs are sensitive to.) Another factor is that since wolfdogs have a completely different evolutionary history than dogs (their wolf half doesn't share the 120,000 years of domestication and tameness that pure domesticated dogs have), it's not uncommon for these hybrids to show more of their wild nature toward humans. In other words, they're more liable to be effected by the primal feelings that a wolf has and that have been dulled or smoothed out in our domesticated dogs.

Is this incontrovertible fact? No, it's just my best guess. But since it's a pretty good guess, based on what I think are some pretty obvious evolutionary facts, it might be a good idea for you to add one thing to your training regimen: have the men who give her treats also come down to her level as they feed her and see what her reactions are.

I hope this helps,

LCK
http://www.LeeCharlesKelley.com
“Changing the World, One Dog at a Time”

Lee Charles Kelley

Expertise

I've been training dogs in New York City for nearly 20 years. My training approach and philosophy are based on the way police dogs, search-and-rescue dogs, and detection dogs are trained--through the prey drive, inherited from the wolf. It's true that there's been a shift away from using the "wolf model" in dog training recently, and to some extent, there's a good reason. That's because trainers have been using the wrong model, the one that says you have to be the "alpha" or the pack leader in order to control your dog's behavior. This simply isn't true. In wild wolves there is no dominance hierarchy, no "alpha" wolf, and no pack leader (not in the traditional sense). The pack instinct only exists to enable wolves to hunt large prey by working in harmony. (Wolves who live near garbage dumps, for example, and who don't hunt together, don't form packs.) So if wolves don't have an instinct to "follow the pack leader" or "obey the alpha wolf," how could dogs have inherited it from them?

Years ago, before I became a dog trainer, I noticed that the happiest, most obedient, and best-behaved dogs I met weren't the ones who'd been to a dog trainer or behaviorist; they were the dogs whose owners always had Frisbees and tennis balls on hand. And while it might seem that my approach would only be relevant to high-drive dogs who love fetch and tug-of-war, it isn't. Even something as seemingly unrelated as a housebreaking issue or greeting behavior are often the direct result of a dog's predatory energy not having an acceptable outlet.

All behavior is an expression of energy. So when a dog's energy isn't utilized in a way that feels satisfying to his or her instincts and emotions, that's when behavioral problems develop. Giving the dog an acceptable outlet for its energy will almost always bring the dog's behavior back into alignment with its instincts

Feel free to ask me questions about any training/behavioral issue.

LCK

Experience

20 years as a dog trainer. I'm also a bestselling author, writing a series of dog-related mystery novels for Avon.

Organizations
Dog Writers Association of America

Education/Credentials
Just a natural gift I have for understanding and training dogs

Past/Present Clients
Too numerous to mention.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.