Hierarchy in Dog Social Behavior

You've probably noticed that in multiple dog households, one canine calls the shots. It might not be obvious until there's a trigger -- food is the usual culprit -- and dogs either defer to the top dog, or fighting ensues. The hierarchy in dog social behavior depends on various factors and, like in the rest of life, the only certainty is change.

  1. Feral Dogs

    • Feral dogs, or those roaming in a pack with no discernible ownership, live in groups. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, these groups include males and females and dogs of all ages. An individual dog's social status is determined primarily by age and to a lesser extent, gender, size and disposition. What's true of feral dogs is true, to a certain degree, of domestic dogs. If you've got more than one dog living in your home, they'll determine a hierarchy, but it's not a static situation.

    Hierarchy Types

    • Domestic hierarchy falls into three categories. In the first, there's a "top dog," whom the others recognize as the boss. Like any boss, she considers her job keeping the subordinates in line. You could also have a distinct hierarchical scale, where dog A keep dog B in line, dog B keeps dog C under control, and so on. The third type is the least stable, as there's no specific leader or underlings. These are the household dogs constantly fighting among one another, whether over food, toys, human attention or trying to force submission. Ideally, the third type eventually changes into the first or second form of hierarchy.

    Changes

    • Any time there's a big change in your dogs' lives it means a potential change in the canine social structure. Changes include the death of a dog, especially if that dog was the leader; a new dog in the home; illness or aging of a top dog, and challenges to the hierarchy when a dog matures socially. The latter occurs between the age of 1 to 2 years. If a dog was out of the household for a significant period of time and then returns, that also throws the current social hierarchy out of balance.

    Socialization

    • There's a hierarchy in dog social behavior among dogs who aren't members of the same household. While there's no house hierarchy for an only dog, when he goes to the dog park, training classes or just meets other dogs when out for a walk, how he reacts depends much on his social skills. You've probably known people with poorly-developed social skills, even if they had strengths in other areas. Dogs are the same way. If you acquire your dog as a puppy, make sure he has lots of chances to socialize with other canines. That's how he develops a canine social skill set, the ability to understand the signals another dog delivers. Some dogs are aggressive with other dogs because they can't communicate. It's as if fellow canines spoke a different language. If your dog doesn't play well with others, you're not likely to expose him to other dogs, which only makes the problem worse. Take your dog to a canine behaviorist or dog trainer familiar with fear aggression. With proper conditioning and training, your dog's social skills can improve.