Found an interesting site and thought I would share an article I read there. Would love to see what others think of it. Let's get a discussion going on this aspect and how it relates to the Koolie and our daily lives.

Dog Pack Theory
Dominance Subordination Hierarchies

One of these genetically programmed traits is the need to be part of a pack. Nature designed dog packs to operate most efficiently with a dominance subordination hierarchy. A clearly defined leader/follower hierarchy or relationship allows for a more efficient pack or group effort. This behavior pattern had a great deal of survival value for wild dogs and it is one of the things that has made the dog so valuable to humans.

This brings us to the first important element in social reinforcement training; establishing the proper leadership role in relation to the dog. As a working model for this type of training, we will work with the hypothesis that the dog views the people in the family as they would view members of a dog pack.

In general a dog will feel more secure if there is a well defined leader/follower hierarchy in the family pack. To avoid dog behavior problems, people in the family should be the leaders and the dog(s) should be the followers. In a dominance subordination hierarchy there will be high ranking members, middle ranking and low ranking members. The dog must perceive a large ranking gap between the people in the family pack and the dog. Otherwise there can be middle ranking conflict between the higher and lower ranking members.

Social reinforcement training involves using the social relationship to control the dog's behavior.

In order to control the dog's behavior with the social bond, one must establish the proper relationship for reinforcement. The term social reinforcement training always brings to mind praise and other overt types of reinforcing social interactions (touching, talking, or looking in an encouraging way) However, social reinforcement training goes far beyond rewarding the dog's good behavior.

Social reinforcement training involves making the dog feel more secure by being definite and committed, confident, fair, firm, and consistent.

• Social reinforcement training is about establishing a balanced relationship with the dog, not an equal relationship. A balanced relationship involves both a well defined dominance subordination hierarchy, as well as the dog's Total Trust. Since we are the ones with the capacity for high levels of abstract thought, it is our job to learn to control our own behavior and to learn to understand our dogs.

To be in harmony with the dog we must blend in with the dog's genetically programmed behavior. We can call these behaviors fixed action patterns or species specific behaviors.

Things you can do to establish and maintain a leadership role in your dog's life

• People lead, the dog follows.
  
• Don't compromise with your dog.
  
• People initiate interaction and terminate interaction.
  
• Don't always attend to your dog's every desire; make an effort to ignore your dog some of the time.
  
• Make corrections sharp and well defined, like a verbal blast. When the dog responds, it's over. In most situations for a short time after the correction, ignore the dog.

Be aware of and use the special relationship between you and your dog. Is your dog away from you, close to you, facing you, avoiding you, pushing you, guiding you, between your feet, sitting, standing, turned to the side, keeping its distance, etc...

I would love to see what others think.

Karolina Koolies

Hi karolinakoolie

I like what I read but think that this oversimplifies it a bit.

It forgets to say anything about how to be the dominate one and doesn't go anywhere near far enough into how to fix the lack of dominance in a dog.
Dominance can be a problem if you have several dogs, the most dominate dog will be the protector with the other dogs playing second fiddle which could mean that they lack dominance. Another problem I have spoken about in this forum is the lack of dominance by the person due to the dog having a closer relationship with another dominate dog thereby negating the person.
It also doesn't take into account a dog that through bad breeding lacks confidence and hasn't the ability to be dominant.
To dominate a dog or control it is easy but to do this so that you bring out the best in the dog is a little more difficult.
You should understand where I am coming from as you also work your dogs
You are aware that some dogs are more dominant than others this poses a whole new question, what is more important the dog being dominant or the trainer.
When you put this into perspective you need to start looking at how dominant the trainer can be to allow the dog to keep it's dominance see my problem?

There can never be a hard and fast rule on dominance while we have differing dominance levels in our dogs not to speak of mental make up of these dogs

I strongly believe that to dominate all dogs in a certain way would be ok for some but would destroy probably more dogs than it had success with.

I have in the past trained some navy dogs that were so agressive that they were knocked out and came to with the handler in the pen with them or they couldn't be handled at all. I have seen other dogs that crynge when anything around them moves or makes a sound this all needs to be taken into account.

Jack Wilja Koolies

Yep I need to comment here, not from pack relations in Koolies, but what I've learnt from a Husky pack.

Huskies are very primative (well they should be) in regards to pack order, families, plus the usual prey & other aspects that aren't relevant.

At our place we have 32 Siberians, all but 4 dogs were bred here & raised as family & live in social groups, the majority of our dogs are entire male. We have a simple rule here, dogs are dogs, humans are humans that rule the dogs. Our pack order is
Me #1human, my parnter Craig #2human (he's a bit softer than me & isn't the primary disipline giver as he is away at work most of the time) we are both Alpha to all dogs which means keeping order & also the responsibility of understanding the pack at all times & knwoing where each individual fits into it.
Under us we have 2 females, foundation breeding girls, oldest female is actual canine Alpha & younger of the 2 2nd Alpha.
1st Alpha female controls the pack, however 2nd alpha female does the work with the girls & unruly boys & the top ranking males control the males as well as protect the pack, boys never fight girls, if they do they will deal directly to me or #1female as females always outrank boys. Males are often seen as the alpha's but simply they are the peace keepers & protectors, they obey the high females.
We get squabbles & fights amongst Juvie boys & gals fighting for rank but it is never fight to injure it is mere strength & tactics, if it goes too far the alpha in the group will step in, a big fight breaks out on rare occasions when too much testosterone is in the air & Alpha females will make themselves present & it will be resolved.
Our kennel is split into 4 groups of compatible workers as Teams, each has their own pecking order however the A group are the alpha & older in the kennel, they can be placed into unsettled groups to restore order. Young pups that merge into the kennel at 12wks old that have learnt confidence & bond with us from the house & their own pecking order go into the A group where they will learn the pack order & learn that they are both at the bottom of the order BUT they are also protected & cared for.

The pack has a punishment system that rarely doesn't get to operate in other kennels as humans interfere too much & the whole pack socialisation is corrupted. In our kennel as hard as it is for some to understand, we let the dogs sort it otherwise we get fights in the team during work that can be fatal & aggression is created in the breed if they are housed individually & allowed then to mingle with human intervention as every dog thinks it ranks directly below the human. If you keep dogs as a group or expect them to work as a group then you must allow them to sort their order unless it gets too serious, then you must explore which is the problem & resolve it.

Now in relation to training dogs with this method, I think it is crucial to have a sound, clear understanding of master & dog. You still need to hold dominance in dogs that lack confidence, but all dogs especially herders if trained right & have this balance based on pecking order will aim to please master (alpha) as it is their pack instinct to do so, to please to alpha to maintain a place in the pack.
A dog that has a confused ranking will lack confidence in the form of timidness & inability to work without questioning everything, or be dominating = lack of respect, challenges or works to it's own agenda, if it knows it's place & has no need to question it the dog will put it's attention towards doing it's job.
It is possible to allow a timid dog more freedom to gain confidence providing it looks to you for reward & praise, an underconfident dog must have security in an alpha, it seeks protection & guidance from the alpha, so a timid dog that runs & hides rather than seek you out lacks pack structure & usually it is due to dominance from the human being delivered the wrong way, you rule that dog yes but it is your role also to protect & give it security.
It is possible to allow a dominating dog to use this towards it's work rather than challenging you, it just comes down to understanding individual needs & catering for it as the alpha dog.

We train all of our dogs using pack order methods & it is highly effective.

Dominance doesn't = physical dominance. Dominance = stronger, smarter, wiser & protector. Dogs in a pack usually don't outrank one another through physical battles, it is the silent things that humans don't notice that maintain order. Battles should only occur when the low rank dog will not accept rank & keeps challenging the higher ranked dogs. The same need be applied to human/dog relationships, body language, voice & security are the tools, reprimand when needed & appropriately is required on dogs with higher ambitions.

This is based on living with a functional pack, seeing how puppies are treated in packs & in regards to herders...from my grandfathers 60yrs experience & words of wisdom in working dogs.

A most excellent addition to this thread, thank you Mushoz