For thousands of years, wars have been waged in the struggle for dominance over territories and the resources they hold. History books are filled with accounts of men’s conquests and crusades against one another. Violent though they are, such events are evolutionarily for good reason. Much is at stake when it comes to locations and property. At the very heart of survival lies the need to protect one’s own interest and that of one’s social companions and offspring in order to secure a future. Instincts to control access to important individuals, places, and possessions run deep in every animal on earth. And for a guardian, this valor in the face of life’s threats is his specialty. After all, such dogs were a deliberate and invaluable assistant in securing and acquiring precious commodities throughout much of mankind’s history.

These kinds of struggles for dominance—the preferential control of important resources—occur within a social group as well as between separate groups and outside individuals. Animals must be able to correctly assess, respond to, and reconcile any threats to the safety and interest of their self and members. The individual animals within any group with the greatest ability to control resources become the natural leaders—the primary keepers of the realm.

Though there are many factors in the ever-shifting concept of dominance, the most stable families and societies are those in which there is a relatively clear pattern of dominance. The demonstration of consistent and effective control of meaningful events occurring within and for a group—solid upper management—establishes that pattern. It’s about being prepared, making good decisions, and taking decisive action to handle the opportunities and challenges that arise in and for the group. Despite popular conception, though, dominance is not about always being first, being aggressive, being bossy or pushy. That’s just the domineering pissing-contest stuff that is left when there is no upper management and it’s all up in the air. The politics are always the ugliest when there is a seat that needs to be filled.

Your guardian is from original stock chosen for the breed’s ability to demonstrate reliable action in order to control and protect resources. It is not a coincidence that this group of dogs are among the most bull-headed about taking directions and have a reputation for needing firm and experienced handling. You don’t, thank goodness, need to get in a wrestling match with your 143-pound mastiff in order to step into your rightful and logical place at the helm (you would totally lose). But you do have to control what goes down in the realm day-to-day, so he can sit back and admire how competent you are.