|
5 Surefire Ways to Show Your Dog You’re
The Boss
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 asserting
dominance, so if your dog gets pushy,
ignore him. When you’re ready to give him
attention or affection or pet or play with
him, ask him to sit first.
Don’t run after him just so you can pet
him. Make him come to you when you’re
ready to give him attention, or play with
him. And when you play with a toy, make
sure that you end up with possession of
the toy, and then put the toy away when
you’re done. (Note: I’m not talking about
his favorite toys that you leave in his
crate. I’m talking about play toys that
the two of you use for games.)
5. Don’t
Let Your Dog Sleep In Your Bed
This is a tough one for a lot of people,
but
when you let your dog share your bed,
at best you’re making him an equal to you.
He should have his own bed, either a dog
pad or his crate that he feels comfortable
in – you can even put the dog pad next to
your bed if that makes both of you happier
– but don’t let him take over the sleeping
arrangements. Before you know it, he’ll
be trying to make you sleep on the
floor!
Again, reinforcing or
retraining your dog to recognize you as
the Head Honcho has absolutely nothing to
do with harsh discipline.
These are changes you can make that will
change the way your dog thinks about you.
And making even small changes like these
can have an enormous impact on the way
your dog views the social hierarchy in
your home – all without a harsh word being
spoken! |
