Hierarchy - it's a dog's way of living

Last Sunday we had a visit from Molly's two brothers Milo & Madden. Their new forever family didn't own a dog in a while and wanted to make sure that the puppies would have the best start possible and become revered family members. As I am watching Milo & Madden romp around, interact with each other, with my dogs and with the family, I am wracking my brain on how I could explain that dogs understand and actually prefer living in a hierarchy. My goal was to come up with an easily comprehensible explanation. I didn't want it to sound like dictatorship is the only way to go, but I also wanted to clearly convey that a dog gets nervous and anxious, if it doesn't know his ranking. I used the expression "dominance" and I realized that it could make a lot of people feel uneasy. Once the family had left, I discussed my dilemma with my husband and he came up with an analogy I really like.

Think about your home like it would be a business with you being the owner and your dog being your employee.

• An employee has to work in order to be compensated -> no freebies. Your dog has to 'earn' his rewards (treats & affection) by either obeying a command or with a behavior you appreciate (i.e. cuddling with you or being quiet when YOU ask him for it).
• An employee can't come in whenever he wants, sits down wherever he wants and do whatever he wants. Usually, employees have designated desks or offices, as well as designated tasks. -> The same is true for your dog. I.e. you decide when the dog needs to lay down, where and for how long. (designated spots are very helpful)
  
• It is expected that an employee has manners, especially when dealing with management. -> That means for your dog no 'talking back' or ignoring you (includes all of your family and friends that come to visit).
• An employee will receive a raise according to his performance. -> Your dog can earn 'privileges' like getting more freedom around the house, free access to his toys or extra cuddling. However, don't forget that 'privileges' can also be taken away again.
  

Although there would be more examples, I believe that these bring the point across I was trying to make. I truly believe that it is easier for a dog to behave as expected, if he has clear guidelines. This way he knows what you want from him and will hopefully strive to make you happy in order to earn treats and privileges.

PS: The dog in the picture is our newest foster dog Emily. She clearly is a supermodel - long legs and skinny as a rail. She is a very sweet puppy and is 14 weeks old. Emily loves nothing more than to cuddle. The moment she is on Juergen's lap she falls asleep and couldn't be any happier. She was supposed to go Chicago, but Carolina PAWS will now try to find her a home in the Charlotte area. Her foster mom in Chicago takes in a lot of puppies and finds them terrific homes. Unfortunately, the last puppy she took in had Parvo and therefore she now can't bring puppies into her house for a while.