Training Tips
Establishing the alpha role:
As humans it is our goal to get along as equals, we try to do our best to accommodate others close to us in hopes they will do the same for us enabling feelings of equality on both sides of the relationship.
However, when it comes to you and your dog or you, your family and your dog, it is very important for your dog to know his place in the within the household. Keep in mind, your dogs instincts are pack oriented and to help understand your dog, you have to understand his instincts. In order for your dog to look at you as his pack leader, you have to establish your place in his mind. If he/she does not see you as the alpha, he/she will try to step into that role. Once you are the established alpha he/she will then look to you to educate him/her on the hierarchy of the rest of the pack. If you do not make it clear, your dog will try to determine the ranking themselves. It is my belief that the number one reason children or owners get bit by the family dog is because the owner/alpha did a poor job of educating the dog of its place in the pack. Unfortunately, when this happens the dog is usually the one who suffers the consequences.
So, how do we make this happen? This can be done very easily in a couple of ways, it isn’t difficult and it doesn’t involved becoming physical with you companion unless it is playful fun. However, it does involve time, patience and consistency especially if you are working with a dog that has had an unpleasant past.
Regardless of your dog’s age, from the very first day he/she is with you, it is very important to establish that you are the giver of all good things; this will help to establish their feelings of dependency upon you that will soon lead to an unconditional love for you.
From the very first meal you serve your puppy or older dog, when placing the food on the floor allow your dog to eat a small portion of the food from your hand prior to eating from the dish. Repeating this before each meal for the first week or so will significantly increase your bond and help establish his/her place in the relationship.
Secondly, every time your new companion does something you want him to do regardless of how insignificant it will become in a couple of months, reward them. In the beginning of the relationship, treats are good as it is an easy association with you and something good. But be careful, too much of it for too long can create a beggar. Begin to exchange the treats for attention and praise soon after you see your dog has developed the association of a treat for a particular behavior. Remember, his number one desire is to please the alpha leader, his reward for pleasing, acknowledgement and praise. It is your commitment as a pet owner to fulfill that place in his/her life.
When it comes to your family, especially your children, it is important that your dog know that his ranking in the family falls below the children. This too can be established with some very easy steps. First, when its dinner time for the family, kennel your dog within view of your dining area allowing him/her to know that it is meal time. Then immediately following dinner, make it dinner time for your pup. Animals ranking higher in the pack eat first.
Secondly, when your dog is accompanying you and your children, leash your dog and allow your children to walk ahead, if the dogs attempts to walk ahead, make certain he/she know it is your intention to make him/her wait.
Lastly, controlling your dogs feeding time and amounts will send the message that you are in control and his life is regulated by your allowances. Knowing its place in the pack will actually comfort your dog and make him/her a more calm and relaxed companion. Just like in our lives, uncertainty brings uneasy stress and in a dog’s life, uneasy tress usually leads to bad behavior.
Remember, your dog will look at your family as the pack and you as the pack leader, so it is vital that your dog know that he/she is on the bottom of the family totem pole.