Do you have problems at your house with who?s in charge? By that I mean, does your dog think he?s the boss? In your effort to form a stronger bond with your dog you may have inadvertently told him he?s the Leader of the Pack. Here are 5 simple and effective ways to correct that.

You Must Be The Alpha Dog
First, let?s take a look at what a ?pack mentality? means. Dogs are born into packs ? in the wild, packs are the essential social order. Unlike humans, who use a variety of political processes to determine leadership and rank, dogs sort out their social order by dominance and power. In a wolf pack, there is a Top Dog ? a clear leader who is the dominant, Alpha male. He?s the Big Dog, with pride of place at the dinner table (well, if wolves had a dinner table!), first in mating, first in decision making for the pack.
Whether you realize it or not, your dog views your household as his own personal wolf pack. The pack mentality is so engrained in your dog?s psyche that he will either view you as a leader - or a follower - depending on your actions. If you are to have a well-trained dog, you must establish that you are the leader, and he is the follower. Your dog has to know in his heart that you are the Alpha Dog, the Head Honcho, the Big Dog, the Top Dog ? call it whatever you want, but your dog needs to know you?re in charge.
Dogs are a little like children in one respect ? they?re looking for someone else to be the leader ? they want rules and regulations because that makes their role in the pack more clear-cut and understandable. It?s scary being the leader ? if you?re not up to it, your dog may assume the role ? because someone has to be in charge!
If that?s what?s happened at your house, you need to re-establish your position as the Top Dog, or ?Leader of the Pack.? But here?s an important note: being the leader of the pack has absolutely nothing to do with harsh punishment. It has everything to do with consistency and setting limits.
A simple rule to remember (and one people have great difficulty keeping in mind) is that you are the leader, not your dog.

1. You Go Through The Door First
Even something as straightforward as who walks through the door first can reinforce your position as ?dominant dog.? Leaders lead. Followers follow. If you allow your dog to charge through the door ahead of you, he perceives that as asserting his dominance over you. Put your dog on the leash, and make sure you?re the first one through the door.

2. You Eat Before Your Dog
Who gets fed first in your house ? you or your dog? In a wolf pack, the leader eats first, and when he is done, the rest of the pack can dine. Do you feed your dog first because he pesters you when you?re cooking your dinner, and it?s simply more convenient to have him quiet and out of the way when you?re eating?
Food is a powerful motivator that can be used to clearly demonstrate who is the ruler of the roost at your house. In no way, shape or form am I suggesting that you withhold food from your dog ? that?s cruel and unusual punishment any way you look at it. What I am suggesting is that you control the timing of the food ? you should eat first, your dog second, after you?re done with your meal.

3. Don?t Walk Around Your Dog
Does your dog lie on the floor and expect you to walk around him? In the wild, dominant dogs lie wherever they want, and dogs lower in the social order go around so they don?t disturb the Big Dog. If you walk around your dog, he will assume this to be an act of submission on your part; therefore he must be the leader, not you.
If your dog is lying in the middle of the hallway, or right in front of your easy chair, make him move. If he?s on the couch and you want to lie down, make him move. Don?t step over him. Just gently nudge him and make him get out of your way. You?re the Big Dog, remember?

4. You Determine When Your Dog Gets Attention
Even asking for attention or affection can be seen as an act of dominance from your dog?s point of view. Dogs that demand attention are asse

This entry was posted on Monday, July 21st, 2008 at 11:54 pm and is filed under Dog Training. 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.