Natural Habitat of Dogs
Dogs are a domesticated animal generally incapable of living in the wild. Most dogs have been bred to be companion animals and no longer know hunt or assimilate to the wolf packs they diverged from thousands of years ago. However, your dog has retained her pack animal behavior and instincts. While the domestic dog still has the basic habitat needs of her wolf cousin, her natural habitat is in the care of her human pack.
History
The domestic dog is genetically identical to a wolf. Generally speaking, once the wolf and primitive man decided they could have a mutually beneficial relationship, humans began creating a new species of animal by choosing to nurture and breed for the traits most desirable in a companion animal. After thousands of years, the domestic dog was created. Therefore, it was by studying wolf behavior that animal behaviorists have learned about the natural habitat of man's best friend.
Significance
A domestic dog will still have some of the instincts of his wild relatives. You see your dog turn around and around before laying down--this is believed to be an old instinct relating to the wolf's matting down of grass to make a bed. A wolf can adapt to a wide range of habitats from the desert to the arctic. In addition to having his pack nearby, what the wolf needs from his habitat is water, a den for shelter and having pups, and wide open spaces full of prey.
Theories/Speculation
Crate training is suggested and successful because it draws on your dog's natural instinct to have a den for shelter. Dog houses and dog crates serve the dog's need to have a small, safe place of her own. However, your dog does not require a crate to be content. After hundreds of years living in the homes of humans, the dog's natural habitat has become a much larger den--your house. Most dogs are more than happy to share your couch and bed with you or to sleep on a bed of their own inside your house and near to you.
Prevention/Solution
Your dog may also need space to run as part of his habitat. His food is given to him in a bowl, leaving him with nothing to chase. Many dogs develop bad habits from this lack of opportunity to run. With thousands of years of instincts urging your dog to run, he will be happiest if he is able to be outside on occasion to romp, play, and chase. He will also be a lot less likely to seek less desirable forms of entertainment (such as tearing up the couch or chasing the cat) if he has enough exercise.
Considerations
The domestic dog is at least as adaptable as the wolf. Some dogs live quite contently in the cab of a big rig, taking breaks to run in the grass of a roadside rest stop. Some dogs live in high-rise apartments and trot through a concrete jungle. Some dogs live on huge farms, running all day long before coming home to warm their owner's feet. These dogs survive and thrive because they have the most important thing a dog needs for a habitat, his pack. As long as your dog is with you, he is home. A dog left by himself in a yard or kennel will be miserable. A dog needs his pack to be happy.
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