"Pack instinct" refers to the natural inclination of certain animals, like wolves or dogs, to live and work together as a group. It reflects their strong instinctive need to cooperate, communicate, and depend on one another for survival and the overall benefit of the group.
Full definition
A dog's
pack instinct makes her a good observer who pays close attention to everybody and everything around her.
The average pet owner does not have a clue about how strong the
genetic pack instinct is that floats just under the fur of their lovable family pet.
Some dogs, especially those with
high pack instincts like Siberian Huskies, simply do not do well being left alone, ever.
In the natural
canine pack instinct, leaders control all of the pack resources and never surrender food to subordinates unless they have had their fill.
Spending time in a kennel or a dog shelter often deprives a dog of his
natural pack instinct and could be a traumatic experience that leads to separation anxiety.
Pack instincts, being survival behaviors, are too deeply rooted in the primitive brain to prevent them from passing on.
The pack instinct is the main reason dogs wedge themselves into our families.
The Alaskan Malamute has a strong
pack instinct and, therefore, wants to be included as a part of the family and loves to be around you.
Cats do not have
the pack instinct that dogs and humans do.
Dogs chained for even a few weeks begin to show problems... Virtually every dog that spends most of the day on the end of a chain will show temperament problems... Chaining, by definition, keeps a dog in solitary confinement, continually thwarting
its pack instinct to be with other animals or with its human «pack».
This «
pack instinct» is built into your dog's genes, and it's a good thing.
Pet owners don't understand how strong
pack instinct is in their family dog.
Remember that two or more dogs are likely to have
a pack instinct, and could see a new kitten as prey.
The great majority of dogs enjoy socializing with their counterparts because they still retain the «
pack instincts» inherited from their wild predecessors.
All dogs have a very strong
pack instinct.
A good watchdog, the Bernese mountain dog has a strong
pack instinct.
Alaskan Huskies have a strong
pack instinct, having been bred to work closely with people and other dogs.
You can take a puppy away from its pack, but you can never take
the pack instinct away from the dog.
As she has a strong
pack instinct, if she does not see you as the leader, your Husky may try to establish herself at the top of the pack, which can lead to undesirable behaviors such as aggression.