Whether you have just
adopted a young pup or an adult dog, you have many things to teach your new
companion. You want your dog to be loved, trained and lively, but not spoiled,
a robot or uncontrollable. Dogs can be naturals at learning manners and
commands, particularly when you understand a key aspect of their nature. Dogs
are social, pack-oriented animals. Your dog will respect a strong, clear, fair
leader. If you fail to establish this position for yourself, your dog will feel
obliged to try to take the position of leader for himself.
The Alpha Role
In a natural state,
dogs would live their entire lives within the closely structure social order of
their pack. While young, they would begin to learn the workings of the pack's
social system and, as they grew, begin to establish their place within the
pack's dominance hierarchy. Dominance, submissiveness, leadership, obeying
others - these are all concepts that are understood by every dog. These are all
concepts that you must understand as well if you are to relate you your dog in
a successful manner.
Each pack has a
leader, an individual who is dominant over all pack members. In wolf society,
this individual is called the "alpha." This is the member who makes
the decisions, who must be obeyed. This is the individual that you must be in
your dog's eyes.
Steps to Establishing
Your Role as Alpha
Professional trainers
know that it is a waste of time to try to train a dog without first
establishing themselves as alpha to the dog. Every dog needs a leader to listen
to and adore. Without this leader, a dog will feel lost and unstructured. If
you do not take the role of alpha, your dog will be forced to take the role
himself. Here are some steps to establishing your role as the alpha. Notice
that these involve both behavior and body language - two types of communication
that your dog will understand.
1. Always praise your
dog as if you own it. Put your hands firmly on the dog. Hug the dog. Pat him so
that your hands get warm from the contact. Do not praise him in a timid way.
2. Praise warmly,
well and quickly.
Do not
drag out your praising of a working dog. Do not fawn over the dog just because
he did one sit-stay.
3. Reprimand fairly
and quickly, then forgive.
Don't
hold a grudge. When you put your hands on your dog, do it with confidence and
authority. Hands on does NOT mean hitting. Hands on may mean a collar shake, a
leash correction, a surprising assist into a sit or down. Do it quickly and
with authority. Then when you've made the dog do exactly what you want - once -
give him a hug. That's alpha.
4. Make the dog obey
on the first command. Don't get into the habit of repeating yourself. A dog's
hearing is significantly better than yours, and you can bet he heard you the
first time.
5. Give commands only
if you can follow through, and make sure you always follow through. If the dog is
running across the park to meet another dog, do not yell "come" - if
he decides not to obey, you have no means of correcting him. Once he accepts
you as leader, he will stop and return to you - because he will have learned
that leaders are to be obeyed.
6. Give permission. Give it for what is about to do anyway
as long as it is OK with you. This does not mean you say OK when you see your
dog about to steal a plate of cookies. This means you do say OK when your dog
is about to get into the car for a ride with you, eat the food in his bowl, go
out with you for his afternoon walk. It means that in a subtle way you are
teaching the dog to look to you for approval and permission instead of making
decisions on his own. Remember - the better behaved the dog, the more freedom
and fun he can have.
7. Deny permission. Monitor your dog's
behavior. Teach him some manners. Even if you like him to walk on your couch and
coffee table, he shouldn't behave that way in other people's homes. When you
take him to the lake, he should wait for permission to swim. It may be too cold
some days or there may be too many young children swimming.
8. Do a sit-stay. This is an easy way
to reinforce your role as alpha. Put the dog in a sit-stay for five to ten
minutes. For particularly dominant dogs, make it a down-stay, and even more
submissive position. If he's a wild animal and he doesn't know the meaning of
the word obedient, all the better. When he breaks - and he will - put him back.
If he breaks 14 times put him back 14 times. At the end of a few minutes, the
dog knows you're alpha. He knows that anyone who holds his leash can call the
shots. And this is with no yelling, no hitting, no electronic stimulation, no
leaving him in the kennel or garage for three days, no nothing. Just a
sit-stay. Easy and effective.
9. Be benevolent, but
tough. Act like a top dog.
Tough, but loving. Always be fair and never get angry. Dogs understand what's
fair and what's not.
10. Be a model to
your dog. The top dog behaves
with dignity, surety, confidence, authority, and intelligence. This will help
your dog to be calm himself.
11. If you have more
than one dog in your home,
you
decide the "pecking" order within the dog pack by routinely feeding
the "top" dog first, giving that dog bones first, etc. Make the
others wait for their turn. This is another means of exerting your authority.
Your Dog Will be
Happier
You may think that
this system is just being too controlling and not "fair" to the dog.
Actually, by being consistent in your handling and in your demands on the dog
you are being fair. He needs structure - to understand what you want and what
his responsibilities are. What is truly unfair is giving up a dog because of
behavior problems - problems caused by the lack of structure and guidance that
were the owners' responsibility to give. Unfortunately, animal shelters are
filled every day with these dogs. Firm, loving training will keep you and your dog
happy - and keep you together.
- C.A.R.E.S.
Companion Animal Resource & Education Society (Schenectady , NY
