Nature of Dogs

Question
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Followup To
Question -
3/4/05

Hello. I'd like to know why are dogs territorial? Please let me know. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Jason Goldman
JGoldman10@yahoo.com
Answer -
Hi Jason,  Dogs are territorial for many different reasons.  If a dog is intact (basically not neutered) they will be territorail because they want to protect there territory from other dogs coming in to breed with their mates.  If a dog is neutered, then the territorialism is caused by other influences.  A lot of those influences are that the area is their den, and depending on the breed of dog, they would like to defend their den from anyone coming in and possibly endangering them or their owners.  Dogs are also territorial of their den when it comes to other dogs, because in nature, when dogs get to be a certain age, younger dogs will rise up and try to take over their position as leader of the pack and control the dog's territory.  If the dog loses to the younger dog, then he can be driven out of his territory.  This is true in wild dogs and is also felt in domestic dogs even though human beings intercede and prevent the older dog from actually being driven out.  Even though we intercede, in the dog's brain, he still feels the fear of possibly being driven out, so he reacts territorial to all new coming dogs to protect his territory in the fear that he will be driven out.   Hope this helps, and if you have any other questions, just let me know.


Dawn

Date: 3/7/05 7:32 PM

Hello Dawn:
 Thank you for responding. Why do dogs have the tendency to mark their terrority-for what purpose? Please let me know. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jason Goldman
JGoldman10@yahoo.com


Answer
Hi Jason,  Dogs tend to mark their territory (especially males) to let other dogs know that that is their domain and that they are the leaders of that pack.  In the wild, it is also done for breeding rights to the females.  In domestic dogs, the marking (especially in neutered males) tends to be a learned behavior more than an instinct to let other dogs know who owns the domain.  In domestic dogs, you will sometimes see females (even spayed ones) mark also to show their territory.  These tend to be real dominate females.  Hope this helps,

Dawn