My dog barks when we're at the table, help!

I know a lady who’s currently got four dogs and she’s had about fifty in her time. They all slept in her bed and all of them ate before she did, and not one of her dogs ever had any behavioural issues.

Vets deal with health, not behaviour. Leave behaviour to the behaviourists and training to the trainers; everyone should stick to their own field, especially when they don't know what they're talking about...

To the lady who started this thread... Others might not agree with me, but what I’m saying is that through simple everyday actions and plenty of love, that’s how a dog learns its place. The one who is the master is the one who feeds, brushes, strokes, and gives their time to the dog. That’s why it’s always recommended, when there are young children (around 5 or 6 years old), to let them be the ones to give the dog its food. My main goal here is to help you with your barking problem. Try what I’ve suggested. You are the master, you are the boss. He eats after you, and he goes through the door after you. Simply placing your hand on the top of his muzzle while stroking him is a reminder of your position. Always be firm and consistent in your behaviour. Don’t feed your dog scraps from the table, and never while you are eating; things should settle down very quickly :) Good luck with your dog, and if others give you different advice that works, that’s all that matters – after all, this is your post, not a debate about hierarchy :) Best wishes, have a great holiday and good luck (I had to split my message in two ;) )

I'm a vet student, and I've spent hours in lectures on dog behaviour, body language and facial expressions. People have a tendency to humanise dogs. Dogs are pack animals, just like wolves. There is always a hierarchy in packs of dogs and wolves. Always. I know endless examples of problems that arise when an owner fails to establish their place as the alpha. With small dogs, it isn't usually an issue. But when a woman gets a male Doberman, don't try telling me there's no human-dog hierarchy when that Doberman growls and bares its teeth, ready to bite, just to block access to the fridge. So many dogs are put down because their owners were unable to dominate them through simple, everyday actions. Some people then resort to violence, which is the absolute worst thing—hitting the dog thinking they're dominating it, when a basic understanding of a few dog training principles could have sorted the situation out. You have your opinion. But I've done placements with both behaviourist and general practice vets. I've seen dogs put to sleep because they bit their owners. It’s the owner’s fault, the poor dog pays the price, and yet you're telling me there's no hierarchy? I've lived it; I've seen it with my own eyes. We need to stop humanising dogs... that’s how accidents happen... Dogs have so many social cues, and if you know these rules, you can teach a dog a lot very quickly. I've trained many dogs; people give me their puppies to house-train because I understand their basic instincts from my vet school lectures. I'm far from knowing everything; I'm still a student. But I have my view on the matter. That’s all it is—my opinion.

Luridia, there’s no hierarchy between humans and dogs because there’s no reason for one to form. There’s also no hierarchy between dogs themselves. All the rules you’re mentioning are rubbish: dogs eat together without any issues, and so do wolves, provided there’s enough food. Otherwise, you’re just looking at a conflict over resources, which has absolutely nothing to do with hierarchy. Feeding your dog at the same time as yourself can even help resolve certain behavioural issues (I’ve done this with Iduun), and the same goes for letting your dog sleep with you (did that with Haï Olly)... Besides, if you want to establish a hierarchy with your dog, you’d need to be fully capable of understanding what they’re saying. Can you read their tail wagging? Predation, stress, joy, excitement... it’s all there in the tempo and even in whether the tail wags more to one side or the other. Can you read a dog’s facial expressions? Even with plenty of training, we miss so many messages. When someone grabs a dog by the scruff of the neck (which mimics a kill bite), the dog gives off loads of calming signals that would stop any well-socialised dog looking for submission... yet the humans who do this don’t stop. They carry on; the dog sends out strong signals to de-escalate the situation, basically asking for it to stop, but the humans keep going. The dog shows signs of stress and discomfort, yet the human carries on... If the goal is submission, the moment the dog sends a signal that translates to "please stop", we should be satisfied and stop, yet we keep going. Without proper learning, we’re incapable of understanding them—so how can we imagine fabricating a hierarchy from scratch in that context?

I say "my dogs" out of habit. I have Fenris, a Lundehund (a Nordic hunting breed, about 17 lbs), and I always have a long-term foster girl, Haï Olly (a Doberman/Beauceron cross, about 55 lbs). At the moment, I often have a third foster dog on the go too (I’ve had Capsule and then Iduun). I generally take in dogs with behavioural issues. I don’t really have "forbidden rules" as such. A dog doesn’t need a ban to stop them doing something; they just need to not want to do it. And I make sure they don’t want to. To give you an example: Fenris used to chew the chair rungs. In my home, that’s a total no-no—I don’t want to see it, I don’t want to hear it... but I never actually tried to teach Fenris it was "forbidden". I taught him that it’s much more fun to chew one of his toys... In reality, Fenris doesn’t chew the chairs anymore. He isn’t even aware that it’s "banned"—it isn't—there's just something better to do instead. That’s how I manage boundaries, to avoid creating frustration that might spill over elsewhere if it gets too much. I prefer to redirect them straight into a positive behaviour.

This dominance theory (which is a total myth!) has been quite literally ruining dogs' lives for years. And ironically, it’s actually by trying to enforce rules and these pseudo-dominance behaviours that people end up getting bitten, simply because the dog doesn't understand and sees certain actions as aggressive. As for the food, that’s another ridiculous belief. Originally, the only reason we ate before the dog was because dry food didn't exist yet; they were fed leftovers, so you obviously had to eat first—unless you could somehow produce leftovers before you'd even had your meal! These poor pooches will keep on suffering as long as there are so many people who still buy into this human-dog dominance theory. The most "dominant" being is the human, and no one else.

Why does everyone say there’s no dog-human hierarchy? Of course there is! A dog picks up on the family hierarchy straight away and they MUST be at the bottom of the pecking order because a dominant dog will bite, end of story, sooner or later. A submissive dog will never bite. Now, to answer the post, this is exactly a major dominance issue... A submissive dog gets its food after the pack leader and the other dominant ones. If he’s demanding food while the family is at the table, it’s because he thinks he’s on the same level as you. To dominate a dog, you don’t need to grab it by the scruff of the neck and pin it down, even if that technique is used; it’ll only be a short-term fix and isn't very effective in daily life. You have to follow certain rules. The dog never eats before or at the same time as you, but after! Once you’ve all finished at the table. The dog should leave the house after you when you’re going for a walk. You’re the boss, you’re in front, you lead the way. Simple things, but they’ll help you establish dominance and make him obey more easily. I completely agree with you.

My dog eats before me and sometimes walks ahead of me, but that doesn't mean he's trying to dominate me – I'm still the one in control.