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Do pet dogs think they are part of the family?

My mom said that a dog thinks that our family is a "pack", and that he’s "one of us". Do dogs really think that way? Or does the dog understand we are an independant family and that he’s just a pet?

What!!?!?!?! A dog should KNOW that it IS a part of the family. Why wouldn’t it be? Yes, they do think that way and you should too.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 20th, 2011 at 12:07 am and is filed under pet dogs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

18 Responses to “Do pet dogs think they are part of the family?”

  1. maybe
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  2. Dogs will adopt a humanand/or whole family as part of a pack. They are dogs and therefore think in pack mentality.
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  3. Dogs are part of the family. At least mine are.
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  4. Dogs, being ancestors of wolves are pack animals. They think of their human family as their pack. However, they do not think of themselves as human. If you treat your dog like a person it is unhealthy for them. They need to know they are dogs, and you are the leader of the "pack"
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  5. Essentially, yes. Canines are pack animals, and you are part of their pack. As far as seeing you as a mother/father/brother/sister, no they don’t have "family unit" distinctions.

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    former professional dog trainer

  6. I would think that if a dog was brought up in a household that has respect and love for each other, the dog would think of himself as one of the family pack. If a dog is raised chained up outdoors 24/7, they are not a member of any pack, not even having an idea what being a member of a pack is.
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  7. FutureFamousAuthor on December 20th, 2011 at 8:40 am

    lol dogs are pretty smart. If you are around them enough, they actually think they are one of you. Dogs that are raised by you, fom when they are puppies can decide that they are just like you since you were their "mamma". We’ll never know exactly what they think, but it seems like that they think they are human
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    experience

  8. It is really depended on how you train the dog. My little dachshund does think he is part of us. He likes to follow us and if we leave him alone in a room, he would cry. He like spending time with us and sleeping with us. However, the other dog I had before was so independent. He ate, ran, and slept, he didn’t need a lot of attention. But he would make sure we were safe.
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  9. dogs are pack animals that thrive on companionship. Much like their wolf ancestors, dogs are very social. In fact, dogs are more social than humans and need to be part of human families. When you own a dog, you become the dog’s pack and he wants to be with his pack.
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  10. shhh don’t let my guys hear the "Pet Word"
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  11. Duh, yes!
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  12. We call ours "furry little people that walk on all fours" :O) We never say the "d" word, we think it upsets them.

    I also think it has a lot to do with the raising of the "furry person" and where the human puts them in the family. Some put them as just a pet and others put them like they are family or a brother, sister, son, daughter, etc. Our furry people know that the humans are the masters and rulers, but they know they have a very special place in our hearts and home.
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  13. No, I don’t think a dog sees it as he’s a pet. He thinks of it as a pack and he has his respective role in that pack.
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  14. depends on how the dog is treated….

    I have six dogs and they all are part of my family…or pack…we love them and treat them with respect…because they do deserve…they love us all unconditionally…and are so happy when we get home…they are so very faithful to us…they listen to us…because they love and respect us…they see us as their leaders of the pack…

    there is nothing they will not do for us…and there is nothing we will not do for them…

    they are family to us…as we are to them…
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    my household

  15. Our dog is a family member and we treat him like he is one of us. What’s wrong with that?
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  16. No, he knows he is part of your family. Families are his "pack".
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  17. crossstitchkelly on December 20th, 2011 at 1:46 pm

    Are you kidding? Our dog wants to be the Alpha female! Dogs still have the mind-set of their wolf ancestors, who were pack animals. There is a strong hierarchy in wolf packs, and you are very much your dog’s "pack." Just make sure he knows he’s not in charge.
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  18. What!!?!?!?! A dog should KNOW that it IS a part of the family. Why wouldn’t it be? Yes, they do think that way and you should too.
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