A hot topic as of late is the danger of artificial intelligence. We have reached a point in humanity where computers can almost always make faster and better decisions than human beings can. Self-driving cars, self-writing emails, self-responding text messages are just some examples. The world has become more artificial than many of us could have ever imagined…but what does this artificial life create for a dog?

Any domesticated dog lives in a fully artificial world. They don’t rely on hunting to be fed and nurtured. If they have a severe health problem the rest of the pack won’t abandon them as a weak link, instead the human member will intervene and spend whatever it takes to cure or comfort the animal. This creates issues many humans are unaware of.

A great question was presented to our training consultant Kurdt Greenwood this week about such behaviors. The question was can a pack member be reaccepted into a pack it was displaced from?

“In the wild pack, if an individual is not getting along and keeps fighting with the hierarchy they sometimes break away and start a new pack, but normally things are sorted out without too much damage to the group because life is already so tough in the wild and cooperation is always first choice for a good strong pack…it’s only in an artificial environment where we (humans) have to step in…”

-Kurdt Greenwood

The artificial environment we have created for the dog can sometimes create artificial problems. This is why it’s so important for humans to project calm and confident pack leadership inside the artificial pack. The more we honor the dogs’ instincts in training them, the stronger the pack will be.

Want to learn more? Contact your local Always Faithful Dog Trainer today!