by Ms Dark

Created on: January 11, 2007   Last Updated: December 21, 2009

Why do dogs appear to "hate" your significant other...?

Well, for one thing, dogs don't truly "hate" anything. They will refuse, ignore, and walk away from something or someone they don't like. To state that dogs "hate" something, or are "jealous," does nothing but cause problems in the long run for the owner simply because the owner is trying to humanize the dog's reactions.

A dog is an animal, no more, no less, and it has animalistic reactions. It's a curious creature, sniffing everything in order to get the items "measure," so to speak, then watching the body language (if any) of the person or animal before making a decision as to whether the animal or person is dominant over them, submissive to them, a friend or a foe. Nothing more.

Some dogs, like some people, are more dominant than others, and will take every opportunity they find to ensure that they are first in everything: eating, walking outside, taking over furniture, etc. If a dog doesn't see that its owner is the leader, then the dog will step up and take over the role.

When the dog is female to the owner's male (or vice versa), they will begin seeing their owner as their "mate" and will become aggressive to any other person or animal of the same gender as the pet, seeing it as a threat (regardless of the person's or animal's intentions) and will defend their right to be the partner of their owner. I know this sounds a bit far-fetched, but watch the dominant pair in a wolf pack. If any other wolf besides the alpha female's mate approaches her, not only will the alpha female fight them off (if they are inferior to herself and/or her mate) but the alpha male will do so as well, staking his claim on his mate for all to see. This behavior can be seen (most often) in small dogs, but also occurs in the larger breeds as well.

The owner of a dog of any breed should keep in mind that they, the human are the dominant in the "pack" and show their canine companion this attitude every day, in all things. The dominant eats first, walks out the door first, takes the best spot in the house, and never ever moves out of the way of the dog. Being dominant does not mean abusing the animal in any way, nor does it mean that the owner has the right to be cruel to the dog at any time.

For those of you in doubt about your standing in your own "pack," read Cesar Milan's book "Cesar's Way" and/or watch his show "The Dog Whisperer." I've personally utilized his teachings in my life with my own canine companions, and they've worked.

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