Dog-human relationship?

Question

It is very intersting.

Why are the dogs so subordinative (submissive) to the humans? This is not common in the nature, except for us.

What makes them to "serve" us?

Answer 1

Dogs are subordinate because we are their pack leaders. We provide their food (which in their eyes means we're top hunters), we provide shelter (as would the dominant male), we play and show affection. If they do something wrong, we discipline. Dogs need pack LEADERS. If you do not lead the dog, you create problems where the dog feels he must lead. This is where you get instances of bad dog behavior such as biting and growling around food and bones. My dogs have been taught that I can take anything from them and I will usually give it right back. This establishes my dominance as pack leader. They 'serve' us using your term because they are a member of the pack and WE work together. Wolves are wonderful families. They love their puppies, and they work well together as a team. The 'alpha' male and female are much like your mom and dad, they raise the family. They keep the peace. They lead the hunt for food. They choose where to live. They will protect their 'family' to the death. Hope this answered your question.

Answer 2

Dogs, are not always submissive towards thier human counterparts, and in fact it is common in nature for animals to have a social hierarchy consisting of dominant and submissive animals of varying degrees. We are certainly NOT the only creatures to have a social hierarchy and it is quite common in nature in animals that live in groups.

The reason dogs accept humans as "Alpha" is because they are descended from wolves, and in fact dogs are now classified as a subspecies of wolf (Canis lupus familiaris). Dogs like thier ancestors are social animals adapted to living in large groups of individuals, thier social structure is known as a Dominance Hierarchy. In a dominance hierarchy, each individual has a certain rank, from alpha to omega, the Alpha is the one who all others defer to in all matters.... but the alpha is only the alpha because he/she continually dominates other members of the group in all areas. However the alpha may be challenged at any time by lower ranking members of the group and in some cases they may be dominated and removed from thier position of authority. This is how dogs function, and if thier human counterpart asserts thier dominance the dog will be submissive... it's not that they serve us, it's just that they respect the authority of the alpha. However, one of the biggest behaviour problems in dogs arises when they have an owner who does not assert thier dominance and instead the dog is the alpha. This occurs because most people do not understand the true nature of a dogs social structure, and a dog who is the alpha over thier owner can become increasingly aggressive if the person continues to give in to thier requests. A wise dog owner who understands the canine social structure, will be the leader in all things and the dog will respect that authority and display submission in deference to the leader of thier human/canine pack. An ignorant dog owner who does not understand the canine social hierarchy will always give in to the dogs leadership and the dog will display aggression to strengthen thier position and will never submit to the requests of the owner.

Dogs don't "serve" us they live in a dominance hierarchy with us and display the behaviour proper to thier position in the social hierarchy.

Answer 3

Domestic dogs have been bred, over thousnads of years, to be a friend to humans. This is helped by their nature, which is to be a part of a pack, and follow a certain pecking order. Most dogs will always regard their owners as the Alpha dog in their "pack."

Answer 4

They have been domesticated and conditioned for this pattern of behavior, unlike their wild counterparts. They will often see their human as just another member of their pack & will usually associate them as Alpha, though not always. Training also affects this behavior as long as it's consistant, though there are some cases where even that isn't worth the effort in the end.

Example: I ran K9 unit consisting of a six pack of German Shepards. The Omega male kept bucking for promotion. He wanted to be Alpha & he constantly challenged not only the Alpha male for position (and the Alpha female) but he didn't accept the two-legged human as dominant either. It was a constant battle that upset the entire chain, but once we took him out & replaced with another male more suited in temperament for Omega, things went very smoothly.

Answer 5

There is a theory that dogs were not necessarily consciously bred by humans but evolved with them in order to utilize the niche they provided, i.e clean up the camp site. Some were better at certain useful skills such as hunting rabbits, (terriors), protection (rot weilers), sheep dogs (collies), etc. The dog that was too agressive was not allowed to survive so they tended to become much more inclined to be submissive.

Answer 6

Dogs are essentially domesticated wolves, and have been selectively bred by humans through the centuries for special purposes, notably to pursue and retrieve game, as draft animals, as guides, and as companions. Although dogs possess hearing abilities far superior to humans', their acute sense of smell is probably the sense most utilized. In addition to traditional hunting and tracking, the dog's sense of smell has been put to such diverse uses as the location of exotic foods and the detection of drugs and explosives.
They serve us essentially because through this selective breeding process they have come to consider humans as superior members of their pack. But in an odd way, humans also serve their dogs in the bargain - in what could be called a symbiotic or mutually dependent relationship.

Answer 7

dogs instinctlvely move in packs and work to a hierarchy. They see us as the top of the pack and therefore are submissive to us. It is natural and is how their social society works. Much the same as Wolves, Hyenas etc

As Terry said...
xxx

Zoologist and zoo keeper

Answer 8

hi,
i am not a zoologist,
but wud like to answer ur question,,
i have had puppy as my pet all my life, i am 23 now... even then, this relaitionship that i dont understand make me feel puppy to be my family member.
i've got a kitty as well,,,
i cant tell u much abt my friendship with both of them,,,,,but i am soo close to them, that i've now totally forgot that kitty is a cat and puppy is a dog....
i dont know if a dog helps us or a cat entertains us,, but all i know is human beings need something or someone to live with,,, it can be another human as a friend or an animal as a friend. although we cant talk to them, but we can understand them.

cant explain much abt this topic now,,, i feel like i am asked to talk about my brother....
anyways,,
thanx

Answer 9

We assume the position of the Alpha dog in the pack, they in turn follow. Besides we provide food and affection. We meet their physical and psychological needs this way.

Answer 10

We are the Alpha-males and females to them. its common in dog nature.