Why do people believe that dogs see humans as another dog?

This seems to be mentioned most often when people are talking about dominance training methods. So why do you believe, or disbelieve, that dogs see humans as another dog?

    Why do people believe that dogs see humans as another dog?

    This seems to be mentioned most often when people are talking about dominance training methods. So why do you believe, or disbelieve, that dogs see humans as another dog?...
    Dog Breed Discussions : Why do people believe that dogs see humans as another dog?...

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    • Why do people believe that dogs see humans as another dog?

      Why do people believe that dogs see humans as another dog? Dog Breed Discussions
      This seems to be mentioned most often when people are talking about dominance training methods. So why do you believe, or disbelieve, that dogs see humans as another dog?

      Why do people believe that dogs see humans as another dog?

      Why do people believe that dogs see humans as another dog? Dog Breed Discussions
    • Dogs dont really see humans as other dogs but they see us as part of their pack. That is the reason you have to show dominance. If you dont your dog will think it is your superior and will not listen to you.

    • I think dogs see dogs, people, cats, horses, etc... as other animals in general rather than differing species. If you or another dog proves to be the dominant entity in that pack of animals your the boss (according to the dog) and that's all that really matters to Fido.

    • Dogs see us as part of the pack animal and that is why we must be the dominant one. if you are not the dog will often not listen to you and that is why dominance training is needed.If you do not train your dog then the dog at some point will dominate you and not listen.In the wild there is only one dominate dog in a pack and he controls all of what is going on where they go, what they do, when they eat, who eats first and most of all who breeds in the pack.Hope that helped you.

    • It is not that I believe that dogs see people as another dog but rather that dog have a need to understand the social hierarchy of the environment and they recognize that people may be ranked higher than them or may not be higher then them. My dog know that she always has to yield to me - when she meets a new person she does not initially know if that person has authority over her or not - by being around them she know that my sister has that authority (burt she doesn't recognize it in my brother) that my friends Katie and Kris have authority over her this authority or rank over her has been both granted my me and earned in how they deal with her. At the same time she knows that I can tell my sisters dog, and my friends Katie & Kris's dogs what to do. My dog believes that she is higher ranked than my sisters dog - but also know that the newfs is bigger than her and can be a bully - but my dog know she is higher because both my sister and I give her greater privileges (which she has earned by being trained and doing what she is told) With my friend Kris's dog they switch who is higher ranked depending who's house we are at. SO I do not believe they see me as another dog - but they see me as part of their "pack"My dogs home pack includes me, her, and 2 cats. She then has extended pack understanding with dogs form other households that she stays and plays with.

    • They do relate to us as part of the pack, though as very unusual and partly-retarded boss dogs who nebvertheless have control of all the vital resources.It's a lot more than just respecting us because we are dangerous. They respond to our Calming Signals. Make a dummy out of Playdough and do a test to see.

    • Q. Why do people believe that dogs see humans as another dog? A: I wish I knew. People can dress up in furry clothes, and attach a tail to their butt, and walk on all fours and make sounds like grrrrrrrr..... your dog still knows you are not a dog.To quote Ian Dunbar (hey, I never thought I would live to see the day!):"Basing dog training on a misunderstanding of wolf behaviour is as useful as basing human education on a misunderstanding of chimpanzee behaviour' - Dr Ian DunbarApparently, this whole dominance thing was based on a study in 1947 by a scientist of some wolves in a zoo. Read the attached link - its antiquated and accepted as just WRONG. http://www.cleardogtraining.com.au/component/content/article/14-frontpage/110-6-forget-the-alpha-theory-its-based-on-outdated-1940s-research.htmlMy own theory: Dogs operate on a frequency we humans can only dream of. Its called SCENT. To those of you that actually think your dog cannot tell the difference, well, I hate to break it to you...you SMELL different. Its natures way of ensuring survival - carnivores must be able to identify others and know which is friend, which is foe. Dogs identify each other by scent. Dogs identify other mammals by scent. It follows that dogs identify humans by scent.My dog knows the difference between a skunk and another little black and white dog. To support my theory, some facts from our favourite source: Wikipedia- It is estimated that dogs in general have an olfactory sense approximately a hundred thousand to a million times more acute than a humans.- Scenthounds as a group can smell one- to ten-million times more acutely than a human, and Bloodhounds, which have the keenest sense of smell of any dogs[citation needed], have noses ten- to one-hundred-million times more sensitive than a human's. They were bred for the specific purpose of tracking humans, and can detect a scent trail a few days old. The second-most-sensitive nose is possessed by the Basset Hound, which was bred to track and hunt rabbits and other small animals.Among mammals, smell is well-developed in the carnivores and ungulates, who must always be aware of each other, and in those that smell for their food, like moles. Having a strong sense of smell is referred to as macrosmatic.

    • We're human packleaders who ask that the dog live by a certain set of rules as opposed to dog packleaders who teach them to live by dog rules. Were filling the same role but were teaching a different set of rules using our brains, not our brawn. Dogs need for someone in the house to have a packleader role. They do not know how to be equals. They'll step up and take the lead if necessary but they don't like too. Its too stressful and confusing for them in a domesticated situation and they're not mentally equipped for it. A domesticated dog that isn't around a strong and fair human packleader is not a happy dog. I don't care what anybody. Says about this being obsolete. If you're trying to make a dog obey you you're taking the packleader role.

    • A dog sees a human as a different species & not a dog. It is because a dog thinks, learns, behaves & perceives the world as a dog, that it's owner has to think like dog, to teach it how to live in a human household.If provided with what a dog needs; leadership, obedience training, given boundaries & taught manners, a dog will learn to co-exist with their human pack, accept its place in the household ranking below its owner & can form a great attachment to its pack.

    • Good question. I always say my Bullmastiff sees himself as a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel but I don't know if that is true or not. I don't think my dog sees me as another dog...because he reacts differently to me than he does to another dog. The same way he reacts differently to an animal that would be considered prey. Or how some dogs do fine with other small dogs, but not cats.We smell different, act different, and react differently than other dogs or animals. I think the term is used more loosely...in that in a wolf pack, someone has to be the leader and it should be you and not one of the dogs.I realize dogs are not wolves, but I use the comparison in the broadest of terms.

    • After all my fostering dogs I can't believe that they do. I watch dogs with each other and then I watch them go up to people. Totally different. Now... They will sniff the butt/crotch... but does that mean they think we are dogs? No. If I go to a country where I have absolutely no familarity with social graces, I will shake hands where they may hug or give two kisses. Doesn't mean I view them as American, just that shaking hands is the only thing I know how to do.If I crawl around on the floor with a dog and initiate a wrestling session, play bow to them, etc. they look at me like I'm an idiot. And I have to say, if I go to a foreign country trying to fit in and imitate their social gestures, they look at me like I'm an idiot too. LOL When my dog meets another dog, he will put on dominant airs, fluff his hackles, put his ears back, stand up straight, scuff the ground. When he meets a human, he is 100% submissive.He has behaviors that some would label dominant. They are not. They are learned behaviors. Someone somewhere messed up and he thinks these behaviors are appropriate. (I should be using past tense here. Sorry.) There will be dominant dogs out there who will just not care whether you're a human or a dog or a zebra or a tiger, they will be that strong willed. It does not mean they see you as a dog.I think dogs are almost, if not completely, as capable as we are of recognizing other species. I hope my analogies make sense. But the more I think about it the more I think it's totally similar.We don't look, smell, sound, talk, move, play, eat, drink, sleep like a dog. And they notice.

    • I'm sure glad that my dogs don't see me as another dog!My breed, Afghan hounds, determine pack leadership by Speed and Agility. They are constantly racing, leaping, spinning, to determine the pack leader.If they saw me as a dog, I would be at the bottom of the hierarchy!I believe they see me as a benevolent god-figure. I supply their nurturing, food, care and discipline.They show me respect, trust, obedience,, and are happy to do it..

    • Hi I see that you need some sort of guide to help train your dog. Recently one of my friends needed some advice on how to train his dog. He followed the dog training course to successfully train his dog in just a couple of weeks.

    • Your dog knows that you are not another dog or wolf. Also you are already the boss in your dogs eyes. Dominance training methods and "alpha concept" are based on faulty science of how a wolf pack behaves. Some animal behaviorists and dog trainers believe that the alpha wolf dominates the pack physically and emotionally. These people think they should then act like their idea of an alpha wolf or dog and do such things as bullying or rolling the dog on its back and other things to prove their idea of being an alpha dog. In the wild this is not how a wolf pack behaves. The pack is more of a true family with the mother and father as the leader and they are instinctively treated with respect much like a human family.So its not that people believe that dogs see humans as another dog. Rather they try to see them selves as a alpha dog or wolf when thinking about dogs.Sadly the dominance method of training seems to be becoming more popular. Maybe because of a certain entertainer on the television who everyone wants to copy.* Note to Jessie.I always enjoy your questions because they make a person think.I just read a book about this subject that I think you would like. It is called"through a dogs eyes" by Jennifer Arnold. It is a really good book by a lady who trains assistance dogs.

    • Are you looking for a dog training guide that will give you some tips and tricks to help your dog become fully trained and have better manners? My brother needed the same type of help to train his dog and he followed the dog training academy course to successfully train his dog in a few weeks.

    • My neighbor had the same problem with his dog. He couldn't get his dog to respond to anything he tried. After a fews weeks I noticed his dog was much more responsive. I asked him what happended. He said he tried a professional dog training guide for beginners and it worked wonders. Maybe it can help you too!