Do dogs see their owners as parents or as “pack leaders”?
i’ve read that dogs see their owners as pack leaders, yet tons of people insist that dogs see their masters in a parental fashion. Which is true? Same question for rats. Are we teachers to our pets or parents? How do they perceive us?
It depends on their age. I believe pups up to to 13 weeks old see their owners as parents. From 13 weeks and up, we become pack-leaders.
That said, dogs do know that we are not other dogs, and the human-dog relationship is not like a dog-dog relationship.
Also, to be there isn’t that much of a difference between a parenting role and a pack-leader role to me. A good parent provides for the child/dog, give it love and affection, teach it good behaviour, will set up rules and limits, encourage it and correct it when necessary. A good pack-leader….will do the same. Bad parenting = out of control child. Bad pack-leadership = out of control dog.
PitBull & Cat – Nobody Wanna See Us Together! Akon – “Don’t Matter”
