I'm interested to know what the pups look like now

I'll start this post with some adoption news, and this time it's about one of the three "Tiny Tot" pups that came to us on the 8th March, and immediately left again for their foster homes. Susie's adoption was confirmed today, leaving Sophie and Speedy still available (unless they also become foster fails). I'm looking forward to seeing the photos of the puppies and how they look a month after this photo was taken.

It was another day with another drama, and as so often happens it came towards the end of the afternoon. This time it was about yet another newly adopted dog running away and getting lost, and since - thankfully - the dog was found, I don't need to go into any details. However, I do want to thank everyone who dropped what they were doing and rushed out to Yuen Long to help with the search, as the response was instant.

What I do want to do is to remind everyone, yet again, that any dog that's new in a home is in what could be called a state of shock. The dog has no idea where it is, why it's there, and who these strangers are. Uppermost in the dog's mind is that it must escape and try to get back "home", wherever that might be. It doesn't matter how kind and loving the new adopters are, or how welcoming the home, to the dog it's scary. The time it takes for a dog to settle depends on the age and personality, so it can be very quick or it may take some months. Either way, being aware of a dog's basic need to feel secure is really important, so outings, adventures and trips to the groomer for a shampoo and haircut have to wait.

There's another common mistake that dog owners make, and in this case it's the internet that's largely to blame, although unfortunately many dog trainers still follow the old "Pack Leader" theory. Rather than try to explain it all myself, I'll use our own HKDR trainer's words, as Cactus is the one with the qualifications and experience of advising our adopters. My own understanding of dogs and their behaviour has come from personal experience of living with many dogs over many years (decades), and observing them and how they interact. Of course I've also gained more scientific knowledge from Cactus, and the more reputable online resources, but the internet is minefield of bad advice along with the good.

This article by Cactus debunks the Wolf Theory, and explains why it's irrelevant when it comes to dogs.

You don't have to be the boss because dogs are not wolves at all!

I often hear people say that dogs are wolves. Dogs inherit the habits of wolves and pay attention to the concept of class in the group. Therefore, a set of training methods is derived based on the "Wolf Pack Theory", teaching dog owners to be the "leader" of the family, Only the "Boss" and "Alpha Pack Leader" can control the dog, otherwise it will provoke and make trouble, and in turn dominate the owner. Some aggressive training methods even say to imitate the behavior of wolves to tame the dog, such as grabbing the neck and shaking it violently, or pressing it to the ground and turning back (Alpha roll). This statement has been heard a lot, but is it really based on science?

Deconstructing the Wolf Pack Theory
The theory of wolves originated from research in the 1930s and 1940s. At that time, scholars believed that wolves would compete for resources through aggressive behavior and violence. There will be constant struggle, so leaders must remain strong.

The biggest drawback is that these are not normal behaviors of wolves at all. The research object at that time was a group of wolves kept in captivity in a zoo. They did not know each other, just like a group of strangers who were forced to live in a refugee camp. The limited resources forced them to compete with each other to survive. The experimental setting itself is already against nature, and the results are forced to be extrapolated to real wild wolves, which naturally causes serious deviations. Therefore, a large number of studies have been refuted in the following ten years, and even the scientists who vigorously promoted the wolf pack theory have come forward to admit their mistakes. They pointed out that in nature, a wolf pack is a family, with parents raising their children, and the children live with their parents until they are three years old, and they don't leave another family until they reach maturity. Parents are the core of the group from beginning to end, and there is no competition for boss status, because fighting will lead to casualties and seriously affect the survival chance of the group. Parents will not compete for everything, they will give resources to the weak first, and then cooperate with family members to hunt and take care of their children.

Domestic dogs are not comparable to wolves
It is still untenable to use the theory of wolves to explain the behavior of wolves, let alone dogs? Dogs have been domesticated into domestic dogs for more than 14,000 years, and their physical, psychological, and social structures have evolved continuously to become a unique species. Rather than comparing with wolves, it is more valuable to look at the research of wild dogs or free-ranging dogs. Behaviorists point out that the social structure of dog groups is actually quite loose and floating. They are scavengers who live by picking up waste and lack well-organized hunting behavior.

What's more, our appearance, body shape, posture, and living habits are so different from dogs. How can they be so stupid that they regard us as the same kind and compete for resources? Domestic dogs have always been in a passive position in human society: where to live, when to eat, what to eat, when to go to the street, where to go for a walk, where to put the bed, which hairstyle to cut, all have no choice but to rely on our supply , how can the hairy boy not know that we are "the master of the rice team"?

Parenting is not the same as domination
Now that you know that the "wolf pack theory" does not apply to dogs, stop attributing all their behavioral motives to "domination" and "he wants to be a big boss", because that will only be a serious mistake! Many so-called behavioral problems have nothing to do with whether you let your dog go to bed, comb, walk in front of you, or step out the door first. Using severe methods such as intimidation and punishment to try to regain dominance is quite outdated and harmful This approach not only ignores the real needs of the fur kids, but also destroys the mutual trust between humans and dogs. Going around at any time will not improve the problem, and even worsen the situation.

Certain behaviors of the dog may not be as expected, but that is just a difference in human-dog culture, or it simply does not understand the requirements of the parents, and it is definitely not trying to be a "big boss". But that doesn't mean we don't need dog training, good furry parents absolutely need leadership skills. The point is, which style will you choose—a tyrant or dictator with a tough style that makes his subordinates fear? Or provide a role model, take care of the needs of the children, loving and loving parents? Dogs are dogs, neither wolves nor humans. We try to integrate dogs into human life, and at the same time, we should carefully understand and respect their true thoughts.


Cactus Mok
Certified Professional Dog Trainer CPDT-KA®
HKDR Education and Dog Training Manager

Finally it's almost time for our first big fundraiser to take place, and registration for "Hero Dogs" is now open at: https://hongkongdogrescue.com/registration/