Of all the questions that people ask, it really comes down to training your dog the right way from the beginning. This is done by establishing your authority in a way they understand and that is natural to their doggy “code”.
Remember, our fur-babies actually are decedents of wolves, and wolves run in packs with an alpha, and everyone else. Establishing yourself as the “alpha” or pack leader is the right way because you don’t need to use negative training when issues come up.
This is by far the most important lesson on how to convince your dog that you are the person in charge. Think of the pack leader as the decision maker – where you should go on the walk, how to behave in different situations and how to respond to all the strange things that are out there.
Does your baby bark at you when they want something and expect it? Guess what, you are not the alpha.
When you understand how dog packs work you soon realize the importance, that pack leader makes all the decisions. If you leave it up to your dog then there a big chance that your dog is going to get some things very wrong and make a mistake!
In order to understand how to become the pack leader you must first recognize that the following means nothing to a dog….
What car you drive, the size of your house, or the money you earn! Your dog would happily swap all of that for a nice snack!
Asking your dog to sit before her dinner, falls short of what you need to be achieving to become the pack leader.
Lastly – dominating your dog is certainly not the way to become the pack leader in fact this can back fire badly on you later on if you teach your dog that physical strength is what it is all about.
While you may force your dog into submission, it will not be convincing your dogs mind that you are worthy of the position and that you should become the pack leader only that you are a bit of a bully.
So how do you become the pack leader?
All dogs worldwide, regardless of breed use the same ways to check to establish the pack leader.
The important areas to take control in are the following:
- The pack leader will be in total calm control when your dog barks and alerts you to danger. This includes anything that your dog may perceive as dangerous and barks at in and around the property
- On the walk your dog should not pull you at a single stage, even the beginning! Learning to walk your dog properly can only really be learnt through video as I have found out!
- If you are the pack leader then your dog should be able to relax and switch off completely inside the house. If your dog is always switched on most of the time and can’t relax then that is your dog on pack leader duty!
- Getting your dog to switch off is directly connected to how you meet and greet your dog after your return home.
- Lastly, feeding your dog correctly will establish who is the pack leader and there is much more to it than asking your dog to sit! Also if you have a dog that is “not food motivated” then you may be in for a surprise!
This can require patience on your part, instantly rewarding when a behavior you want is displayed and ignoring completely the behaviors you do not want. If it sounds hard, it really is not, sometimes I have found it is easier to learn when you can watch a professional take the steps live and then copy what they do.
If that is you, then there is one site that shows you – using video – exactly how to become the pack leader and how crucial it is to changing any behavioral issue.
If you want to understand more about this topic or see the videos that explain everything then simply take a look at our favorite training resource here.
