Bad for dog to walk through door before me?

Monday May 25th, 2009

Question:

Why do I need to keep my dog from going through the door ahead of me?

Answer:

It used to be believed that a dog who goes through a door ahead of his owner "thinks" he's alpha. That's supposedly because in a wolf pack whenever there's an opening for the group to go through, the pack members exhibit a lot of snarling, posturing, and other aggressive behaviors, seemingly over who gets to go through first.

This was mistakenly interpreted by researchers as attempts by each aggressive wolf to rise in status in the pack's hierarchy. It turns out that this behavior was only observed in captive wolves, who were culled from various sources and who didn't really know one another before they were clumped together and expected to act like a real pack. So these animals were behaving more like members of rival packs than real packmates. This behavior is never seen in wild wolves, or even in the wolves at Wolf Park in Indiana.

So while it's not a bad idea to keep your dog from bolting through the door, if just for the sake of his own safety (not to mention the wear and tear it'll save on your arm!), it has nothing to do with showing him that you're alpha. Dogs simply don't think that way.

Lee Charles Kelley is a best-selling novelist and long-time dog trainer in New York City.

Tags Dog Behavior, Dog Training

DogTime newsletter

Recent conversations on these topics

Is it ok to beat your dog when training it?
i just got a new dog and would like to know if beating when it does something bad is the only effective way to train it? ok if theres one thing I hate, its a dog that doesn't listen. If my dog starts doing something like scratching at a door, what alternatives are there other than yelling at it and hitting it? If I do that, then he'll associate me yelling at him with pain. Then hopefully the next time he does something bad and I yell at him, it will be enough So far, no one has really given any good alternatives. Also, gail, if I give the dog a treat everytime it stops scratching at the door, wouldn't it make him more likely to scratch at the door because he knows he'll get a treat when he stops?
Anyone heard of the Hotdoll for Dogs?
This is too funny! Saw this on divinecaroline.com... "The Hotdoll is a doggy love doll that is supposed to help channel the sexual appetite of canine pets." The Hotdoll website doesn't appear to be ready yet but checkout the article and picture here:<a href="http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/33672/33237-hotdoll-dogs">Hotdoll Article</a> Doesn't the dog in the picture look satisfied??!!
Political Animals: Why Some Stray Dogs Have Joined the Greek Riots
An interesting sociological phenomenon is taking place in the city of Athens. Some of the city's stray dogs are joining the anti-government demonstrators! <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/my-puppy-my-self/201005/political-animals-why-some-stray-dogs-have-joined-the-greek-riots">Political Animals: Why Stray Dogs Have Joined the Greek Riots<a> LCK
Canine Communication, II: "Calming Signals" & the Mel Gibson Tapes
Hi dog lovers! Check out my latest article on how dogs communicate, including input from Sigmund Freud, the Beach Boys, and the Mel Gibson tapes. Enjoy! <a href="http://ow.ly/2cxgt">Canine Communication, II: Calming Signals & the Mel Gibson Tapes<a>” LCK