Domesticated dogs have retained their pack motivations and the hierarchy of the pack, probably more things also, but those two are what we as dog trainers key on.
The first thing I teach and I start at eight weeks is for the pup to give kisses. Pups lick each other and mom to identify and socialize. So putting a pup up to your face will bring the tongue into action, then it's a simple matter of saying kiss, kiss, kiss, then you pull the pup away and rub it's head and tell it good name goes here. In just a couple of days it will give a kiss when you say kiss before putting the pup close to your face. Yep you can hold the pup at arms length and have the pup looking more like a snake with it's little tongue going like crazy. In just a few days the pup will understand what your relationship with it is, master and subordinate and you're on your way to training a pup much easier. Of coarse we would rather say alpha and subordinate. We have just used a social status set up with in the pack to show the pup how is who, and this eight to ten week old has not thought through anything, this is instinctual behavior.
As a dog continues to mature it will obey due to a pack mentality, but also the pack mentality demands that most dogs male or female test the ones above it, it is a desired trait for the pack, the alpha will need to be replaced at sometime. Dogs being domesticated have learned to bond with humans in a different way than they do within the pack. it's probably due to the fact that man supplies all the needs of the subordinate dog, where in the pack the subordinate does a lot of work to supply food and protection for the pack.
With all this said do I think dogs show morals, well I've seen my personal dogs act more human than some people I've met, but all in all I believe it still all comes from the social aspects of the pack. When you've helped train protection dogs you see a totally different side of a dog and that in itself has one considering whether a dog even cares about morals. Pleasing the pack leader may be what drives them more than anything else. Hope this makes sense and helps in some way.
The first thing I teach and I start at eight weeks is for the pup to give kisses. Pups lick each other and mom to identify and socialize. So putting a pup up to your face will bring the tongue into action, then it's a simple matter of saying kiss, kiss, kiss, then you pull the pup away and rub it's head and tell it good name goes here. In just a couple of days it will give a kiss when you say kiss before putting the pup close to your face. Yep you can hold the pup at arms length and have the pup looking more like a snake with it's little tongue going like crazy. In just a few days the pup will understand what your relationship with it is, master and subordinate and you're on your way to training a pup much easier. Of coarse we would rather say alpha and subordinate. We have just used a social status set up with in the pack to show the pup how is who, and this eight to ten week old has not thought through anything, this is instinctual behavior.
As a dog continues to mature it will obey due to a pack mentality, but also the pack mentality demands that most dogs male or female test the ones above it, it is a desired trait for the pack, the alpha will need to be replaced at sometime. Dogs being domesticated have learned to bond with humans in a different way than they do within the pack. it's probably due to the fact that man supplies all the needs of the subordinate dog, where in the pack the subordinate does a lot of work to supply food and protection for the pack.
With all this said do I think dogs show morals, well I've seen my personal dogs act more human than some people I've met, but all in all I believe it still all comes from the social aspects of the pack. When you've helped train protection dogs you see a totally different side of a dog and that in itself has one considering whether a dog even cares about morals. Pleasing the pack leader may be what drives them more than anything else. Hope this makes sense and helps in some way.
God loves those who believe and those who do not and the same goes for me, you have no choice in this matter. That puts the matter of total free will to rest.
