Kathy
Diamond Davis presents:
PACK DRIVE
The
kind of grooming that will most increase pack drive is grooming every
day. This gets your hands all over the dog,
the dog working cooperatively with you to turn this way and that
so you cover all the hair. Comb the hair completely through with
a top-quality comb if it's long, give the dog a thorough rub-down
with your hands if it's short.
It's really important that it be every day. Then it will not be
painful. It will, however, teach the dog to tolerate mild
discomfort, and to communicate to you when something hurts
without turning around and biting you. It will also make you more
aware of your dog's body language and help the two of you learn
to move more smoothly as a team. You'll be able to guide your dog
better with your hands in all other situations as you learn to do
it
in grooming.
The grooming is great for your dog's health, too, not only skin
and coat, but all the other things you will notice before they
become advanced problems. And the effects on a dog's obedience
and cuddliness are just astonishing.
Another way to increase pack drive is to keep the dog with you.
House dogs are part of the family, they develop many interactive
behaviors with you, and they feel they belong.
If your dog still needs crating at night, putting the crate in
your bedroom instead of another room would increase pack drive.
If the dog does not require a crate, your bedroom floor is the
perfect place for a dog bed. Pack drive is increased by a dog
sleeping on the bed, too, but there are several circumstances in
which that would not be a safe practice, and it is not necessary
in order to have a great relationship with your dog.
The major way most people probably increase their dogs' pack
drives is training. Harsh correction methods will increase
defense drives, so you don't want that. If the dog perceives you
as a fair leader who is generous with praise and other rewards,
the dog not only increases in pack drives, but also increases its
specific bond to you.
Petting also increases pack drive, so if you can use it as a
reward for commands obeyed (praise is always the first reward,
then petting if appropriate, or food or play), you're getting
double-duty out of the training. Praise as a reward is so very
important, for the dog to learn to love the sound of your voice,
at the same time you practice and learn by experimenting just
exactly how to use your voice to motivate your dog. Every dog is
a little
different. And good use of your voice requires regular practice.
When you take the dog away from the house with you, that seems to
increase pack drive, too. You are the amazing leader who conducts
these wonderful expeditions! Best if you don't take other dogs at
the same time, since the bond to you is the most important one,
not the bond to the other dogs. If you have multiple dogs, they
need to each spend time alone with you regularly, in order to
maintain a good bond with you and not be bonded just to each
other.
Getting along well with another dog of opposite sex in the home
probably increases pack drive, too, but if the choice of the
other dog were not compatible with this dog, that would be
detrimental. If other dogs are acquired too quickly, that would
be detrimental, too, because as you can see from reading through
this, the things that increase pack drive in your dog are things
that involve you spending one-on-one time with the dog. Every new
dog you add can challenge your ability to provide that for each
of them.
---©Kathy Diamond Davis, author, Responsible
Dog Ownership
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01/21/06