Did this person ever explain what she meant by scent patterns and how they would affect our relationships with our dogs? I mean, this must be something really revolutionary being as none of us have heard about it before.

I guess we have to eat liver and stuff so that we smell like alpha dogs to them. If that's the case, I've totally blown it because I'm not eating liver for anybody, not even to keep my dogs in their places. Oh well... doom and disaster no doubt awaits us.

You probably smell like an overpowering chemical factory to a dog, assuming that you use some form of doederant, soap, etc., etc.! I have heard of the idea that scent is important in wolf packs, in that the higher ranking wolves eat the best bits and this has an effect on their scent - I don't know the truth of it, but it sounds reasonable and logical enough as a theory for wild wolves. I'm also quite happy with the theory that, although domestic dogs do not truly form a wild wolf pack with their humans, some of the techniques of the alpha male in imposing dominance over the pack can work in the domestic human/dog setting, as it is the kind of signal of hierarchy that the dog will naturally understand. However, trying to apply this diet/scent thing as part of that hierarchical language in the home is plainly nonsense - as I said, you will smell of too many other things for the dog to be in the least bit concerned about the tiny bit of diet-related scent and what implications it has on your dominance over him! There are far more obvious and useful ways to use dominance related behaviour, body language, etc, to do this - whether you believe you are imposing your dominance or (as seems to be a current fashion) just teaching good manners and maintaining respectful control, the point is you are doing it in a language that they are likely to naturally understand. To confuse modifying natural behaviour to assist in training with becoming a natural part of a true wolf pack is not really going to be helpful!

Krusewalker,

It is the rottweiler.co.uk forum and the poster's name is 'Angela'. To give her her due, she gives some sensible advice on some subjects.

She has obviously spent some time studying wolves (wild in Poland and the captive ones that Shaun Ellis was filmed with), but beyond that I do not know what her 'expertise' is. I don't know whether many of her theories are her own, but regardless I disagree with them.

She is apparently writing a book which will include her theories on scent pattern and pack structure.......

 

thats the biggest load of tosh i've heard in years.

so her theory means 'if we feed 1 dog on BARF and another on a awful dry, then we can determine which dog will be Alpha, regardless of personality or temperment.

i think not!!!

whatever happened to - time training fun and love!

hmmm- well callums eating his barf, claras chewing n her royal canin, im  having quorn spag bol?
dont think they care what i smell like , but Clara does move out the way when Callum farts!

whats wrong with barf?

well, it comes out for a reason....it aint meant to go back in