How To Become Leader Of Your Pack

Your dog watches you constantly and reads your body language. He knows if you're insecure or uncomfortable in a leadership role. This behavior confuses him and can make him insecure. If he's a natural leader or has a social-climbing personality, it'll encourage him to assume the alpha position.

"Alpha" is an attitude. It involves quiet confidence, dignity and intelligence. A dog can sense this attitude almost immediately. Watch a professional trainer or a good obedience instructor. They stand tall and use their voices and eyes to project their pack status. They're gentle but firm, loving but tough, all at the same time. Most dogs are immediately submissive towards this type of personality because they recognize and respect alpha when they see it.

Practice being alpha. Stand up straight with your shoulders back. Walk tall. Don't ask your dog to do something - tell him in a firm and confident tone. You don’t have to yell. He hears you. Remember, as alpha, you're entitled to make the rules and give orders. Your dog understands that instinctively. Be confident - from your walk to your voice. Confidence breeds confidence and acceptance. A confident and accepting dog is a happy and CLEAR DOG.

With most dogs, just this change in your attitude and perhaps some obedience training will be enough to turn things around. With a dog that has already taken over the household by growling or biting, you'll need to do more then merely decide to be alpha. Your dog is going to need a little reminder, a little attitude adjustment if you will.

Natural leaders and social climbers aren't going to want to give up their alpha position. Your sudden change in behavior is going to shock and threaten them. Your dog might act even more aggressively than before. An alpha dog will instinctively respond to challenges to his authority. It's his nature to put down a revolutionary uprising by the peasants! Don't worry, there's still hope.

An alpha dog can beat you in a physical fight so returning his aggression with violence of your own won't work. Until you've successfully established your position as alpha, corrections like shaking, or using the "Alpha Roll" techniques described in some books will not work and can be downright dangerous to both of you. An alpha dog will respond to these methods with violence and you could be seriously hurt.

USE YOUR BRAIN! You're smarter than he is and you can out think him. Retraining him requires an attitude adjustment from everyone and a new way of working with your dog.

Always remember this is serious business. A dog that bites or threatens people is a dangerous dog, no matter how much you love him. If treating your dog like a dog and not an equal seems harsh to you, keep something in mind; YOUR DOG WILL BE HAPPIER BECAUSE HE IS CLEAR ABOUT HIS PACK POSITION AND HIS JOB DUTIES PERTAINING TO THAT POSITION. Think of it this way; sometimes when you go to work you are expected to be the boss, sometimes you are expected to be a low level worker. The problem is, no one tells you day to day what position you hold and you must use a trial and error technique to figure out which job the company wants you to do that particular day. You wouldn’t know where you stood or what your job was and if you are confused as a human, how do you think your dog feels?

Canine Boot Camp for Alpha Attitude Adjustment

From this day forward, you're going to teach your dog that he is a dog, not a miniature human in a furry suit. Hopefully his mother taught him how to be a dog and how to take orders but along the way, through lack of training or misguided intentions, he's forgotten. With your help, he's going to remember what he is and how he fits into the world. Before long, he's even going to like it!

Dogs were bred to look to humans for food, companionship and guidance. An alpha dog doesn't ask for what he wants, he demands it. He lets you know, in no uncertain terms, he wants his dinner, he wants to go out, he wants to play and he wants those things right now. From this day forward you've got to teach him, he has to earn what he gets.

If your dog doesn't already know the simple command SIT, teach it to him. Reward him with praise. Don't go overboard with the praise. A simple "Good boy!" in a happy voice is enough. Now, every time your dog wants something - his dinner, a trip outside, a walk, some attention, anything - tell him (remember don't ask him, tell him) to SIT first. When he does, praise him with a "Good Boy!” then tell him OKAY and give him whatever it is he wants as a reward. If he refuses to SIT, walk away and ignore him. No SIT, no reward. If you don't think he understands the command, work on his training some more. If he doesn't want to obey, ignore him - don't give him what he wants or reward him in any fashion.

Make him sit before giving him his dinner, make him sit at the door before going outside, make him sit in front of you to be petted, make him sit before giving him his toy. If you normally leave food out for him all the time, stop. Go to a twice daily feeding and you decide what time of day he'll be fed. Make him sit for a snack. If he won't obey the command, then he doesn’t get the food. Walk away and ignore him. Bring the snack out later and tell him again to SIT. If he understands the command, don't tell him more than once and remember to give your commands from a standing position, using a confident tone of voice.

If the dog respects certain members of the family but not others, let the others be the ones to feed him and bring the good things to his life for now. Show them how to make him obey the SIT command and how to walk away and ignore him if he won't do as he's told. It's important that your whole family follows this program. Dogs are like kids - if they can't have their way with Mom, they'll go ask Dad. In your dog's case, if he finds a member of the family that he can dominate, he'll continue to do so. You want your dog to learn that he has to respect and obey everyone. Remember - his place is at the bottom of the totem pole. Bouncing him from the top spot helps but if he thinks he's anywhere in the middle, you're still going to have problems.

I have suggested above you use the command, SIT for working with your dog’s dominance but any command or combination of commands can be used before your dog gets something he desires. As he becomes more educated on commands, start demanding more from him prior to him getting something he likes.

Think - you know your dog and know what he's likely to do under most circumstances. Stay a step ahead of him and anticipate his behavior so you can correct it or avoid it altogether. If he gets into the trash and growls when scolded, make the trash can inaccessible. The trash can is a battle you can control and with dog training, you must pick your battles. If he likes to bolt out the door ahead of you, put a leash on him. Make him sit and wait while you open the door and give him permission – OKAY, FREE, WHATEVER! - to go out. If your alpha dog doesn't like to come when he's called (and he probably doesn't!), don't let him outside off leash. Without a leash, you have no control over him and he knows it.

When walking him on leash, or more likely, when he is walking you, be sure to walk your speed and go where you want to go. If he needs to potty, tell him where and when he can. He does not need to potty on every bush you pass on the walk. His role is to be aware of you and adjustments he must make in his behavior to adapt to your pace and direction. He must learn that the only way he gets to go where he wants to go, is by doing what you want him to do. Walking without pulling on the leash is a great start. While walking your dog, make him avoid your path. Don’t walk around him. If he is in your way (a very alpha thing to do) shuffle your feet and gently pushed back into him while telling him, OVER. He must learn to watch out for you, not visa versa. This principle also applies for times when he is asleep on the floor in the house. Don’t walk over him or around him. MAKE HIM MOVE. Shuffle your feet towards him and tell him to move. In a pack situation the alpha NEVER has to tell anyone one to move. They move without question, whether they are asleep or not. They know where the alpha is and how to get out of his way.