Dog temperament and pack leadership

In the first group are the dogs of sound temperament which are generally referred to as the Alpha dogs or front line dogs. These dogs naturally want to provide leadership for the pack which including their handlers. These dogs exhibits independence of mind, dominance, over protectiveness, pushy, extremely smart and will refuse to be led by anyone that is perceived to be weaker minded than they are.

In extreme situations they may exhibit aggression towards other dogs and humans because in their own perception as the self anointed pack leader, the survival of the pack depends on them. Without strong leadership these dogs are too willing to step in and provide leadership both for other dogs and humans. To provide leadership for these dogs, you must earn their trust and respect. The size of the dog has nothing to do with the temperament of the dog, from the small sized Chihuahua and the Shih Tzu to the large sized Rottweiler and German shepherd the same attitude of the sound temperament are exhibited. The toy sized Shih Tzu of sound temperament will rule the extra large dog and their human counterpart because the power is in the mind and not in the size of the body.

In the next group are the dogs with a mix of both the sound and unsound temperament. These dogs exhibit the traits of both the sound and unsound temperaments. For instance they do not have a natural tendency to lead but in the hands of a weak human handler, they will easily step in and take leadership of the pack. These dogs are referred to as ‘middle of the line dogs’ and are the easiest to train.

Without firm leadership they can easily become stressed, anxious, over excited or bored resulting in hyperactive and temperamental behaviors or even outright aggressive and destructive behaviors.

In the last group are the dogs of unsound temperament which can be referred to as ‘back of the line dogs’. These dogs exhibit all the traits of the unsound temperament such as nervousness, timidity, shyness and fearfulness. These cautious and sensitive dogs can easily be stressed out if they do not get assurance that a secure and assertive pack leader is in charge. They will not step in to take leadership because they do not feel that they have what it takes to lead the pack.

Shih Tzu Temperament: Find Out Shih Tzu’s Natural Disposition

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