Who’s the Boss? (Desert Bulldogs)

In nature, dogs have only one pack leader. The followers naturally fall into rank depending on the strength of the energy they are born with. Every once in a while, a higher-ranked dog will get sick, and a subordinate will fight or kill him to move up a notch. That’s nature.

However, I do not believe we should ever nurture dominance among domesticated dogs. First of all, it can be dangerous. A person or another animal could get seriously hurt. When we nurture dominance, it’s not that different from nurturing insecurity, nervousness, tension, or fear. In the wild, it’s a natural state, but there are consequences when dogs live with us behind walls.

In my pack, I am the leader, number one; and they’re all number two, all considered equals. When I’m away, my assistants become number one, but all the dogs remain in that number two state. We don’t want to create number three, four, five, because that can create a chain reaction of dominance, which can lead to violent fights.

Rehab Behind Bars: Pups on Parole

Las Vegas’s “Pups on Parole” program is a great example of “The Power of the Pack.” In working with the women inmates who rehabilitate dogs for “Pups on Parole,” I wanted them to understand that dogs are able to experience more than one human pack leader. This is important because once the dog is successfully rehabilitated and adopted to another household, they will know that human equals pack leader.

As you know, I believe that all humans should be seen as pack leaders in order for our dogs to be able to instinctively follow. Dogs only have a problem with this when they are confused as to which pack position is theirs. If we don’t demonstrate to them where they belong, they will naturally try and take the leadership role, even if they are not temperamentally suited.

Remember, nature tells them that someone’s got to take the wheel!