All dogs seek a leader

A dog doesn't seek out to be a leader of a pack. A dog becomes a pack leader due to its inherent, genetic makeup. An alpha dog of a pack is a dog that is genetically dominant, and is genetically more dominant than the other pack members. A dog establishes its position as alpha, because it is able to win every challenge from other pack members. The dog doesn't think to itself, I want to be pack leader! It's a position it takes on due to being able to have the other members of the pack, submit to any challenge.

When I speak of challenging, I am not only talking about aggressive behaviour. Dogs will challenge when playing, by asserting themselves, and trying to control the game. They will claim space, objects and resources, and other animals (humans) to establish dominance. The dog that does all of this successfully, and has the other pack members accept or back down to his dominance, is the pack leader.

Important:We can also end up with a very insecure and stressed dog if we continually reward or reinforce assertive behaviour, and the dog is not genetically strong enough to accept its leadership role. We create even more stress when we are not consistent with our rules, boundaries and limits.

I certainly agree that dogs do not view us as other dogs. However that does not mean we cannot be leaders of our dogs. Being a packleader of your dog means just that, your dogs leader. Not that your dog views or accepts you as another dog. Your dog can have many leaders...your entire family should be the leaders of your dog.

The new puppy in the family

When you bring a new puppy home, you and your family almost immediately becomes your puppy's new pack. As your puppy's new pack, the family needs to ensure from the beginning that it establishes pack leadership. Remember your puppy just left its litter mates. During its time with its litter mates, it was working on establishing its position within that pack. Once your puppy is settled in with its new pack (your family), it will do the same thing, instinctively work out where it fits in with each member of the family.

It is so important that we relate to our puppy in a way it understands. Remember, your puppy is instinctively a social pack animal, and only knows how to relate to its family pack by instinct. Puppies and dogs don't automatically become human-like, just because their pack consists of humans.

Dogs only ever act on instinct.. not love.

It is very important that we accept that our puppy does not love us. Dogs bond with a pack, and with pack members. They do not do anything out of love for us. When we create the correct relationship with our puppy, based entirely on its instincts, then our puppy instinctively follows us, and accepts us as its leader. We get this relationship wrong, by basing our relationship with our puppy on believing our puppy loves us, and not on its genetically inherent pack instincts. We not only create a situation whereby our puppy cannot respect us as its leader, but a puppy that is continually trying to control us, and/or totally confused and stressed.

Does this mean you shouldn't love your puppy or dog? Of course not! We should all love our dogs. However in loving our dog, we also must respect who and what our dog is. Just like humans, we love each other for who we are, not who we want the other person to be. The same goes for our dogs; in loving them, we honour and respect who and what they are, by not trying to make them something they are not. It is only then that we can have a well balanced relationship with our beloved dogs.

Establishing pack leadership

How do we establish pack leadership? Well in exactly the same way our dogs do.  We must have our dog be submissive to us, and this can only be established by setting rules and boundaries for our puppy based on its natural instincts. Remember, in the dog world ownership is 9/10's of the law. Pack leader owns everything. This includes, space, objects, food, other animals (including other humans). We should never allow our puppy to own or claim anything. Too often I have seen owners allow their puppy to claim and own things such as toys. How often have you seen a puppy or dog claim a toy, and show aggression to maintain ownership of it, if a human tries to go near the pup or dog, or tries to take the toy? Or food aggression whereby the puppy or dog displays aggressive behaviour whenever someone approaches too close to its food bowl or bone? This is not a puppy or dog that loves us, it is a dog establishing and maintaining pack dominance.

We as our puppy's pack leader must understand and accept that we must control its environment. We must control access to toys, food, other animals (humans) and space. It is only then that we can truly be our puppy's leader. We must learn to read our puppy's body language, to understand what our puppy is trying to indicate to us. We must be aware of assertive body language, and never reward our puppy for being in this state of mind. We must become calm assertive leaders for our puppy, and by doing so our puppy will respect our position as its leader.

Consistency

Dogs need to be able to predict with 100% accuracy the consequences of their actions. As we have no way of verbally communicating our needs and desires to our dogs, we need be consistent. We need to set consistent rules and boundaries. A good leader is consistent, calm and assertive.

Some important rules to follow:

• Control access to food. Teach your puppy to sit back and wait before approaching its feed bowl. Never allow a puppy to eat if it is overly anxious or assertive to get to its bowl
• Do not allow your puppy to claim objects, such as toys. Teach your puppy to give up its toy to you. Never allow a puppy to snatch a toy from you once you have claimed it, or you have removed it from the puppy.
• Tug-of-war. Tug-of-war can be a fun game to play with your puppy. However understand why your puppy is playing this game. To the puppy it is NOT a game. This is a serious challenge to maintain control of an object. If playing tug with your puppy, teach your puppy to give the toy up to you, and once given up, the pup should not be allowed to come forward again and try and reclaim it. Also NEVER allow your puppy to get so worked up in the game that it is growling and thrashing around trying to win the toy, and definitely do not allow your pup to win the toy if it does get to this level. If you do, you are teaching your puppy, that the more assertive it becomes, you will eventually back down (submit).
• Teach your puppy to respect your space. Don't allow your puppy to come into your space being overly excited, assertive or demanding. Teach your puppy, to drop its attitude when it enters your space.. in other words be submissive to you.
• Don't allow your puppy to claim visitors. Teach your puppy to sit calmly beside you when people approach you. Wait until your puppy has calmed down before allowing visitors to give your puppy any attention.
• Teach your puppy that entering the home is a privilege, not a right. A puppy should not enter the home from outside, being assertive or pushy to get in. Teach your pup to sit calmly outside until it is invited in.
• Teach your pup to respect furniture. Only allow a puppy onto furniture when you invite it up, and only when in a calm submissive state of mind.

Puppies and young children

You will hear of many dog trainers and behaviourists say that your young children should establish themselves as the puppy or dogs pack leader as well. This I totally disagree with and is only setting your children up for a possible nasty and damaging experience. There is no way a 2 year old, or even a 7 year old, can naturally become your puppy or dogs pack leader. Your puppy will always view your young child as a lower ranking then itself. What you should do as responsible parents and dog owners, is supervise, supervise, supervise!! Never allow your puppy and young child be together unsupervised. Set rules and boundaries for both your child and puppy. Don't allow your children over the top excited playful behaviour around the puppy. Don't allow your puppy to become controlling when socialising with your child. Supervise every situation with your children and puppy.. set rules and boundaries for both. Never place yourself in a position of regretting having a puppy, because you didn't supervise.

Be Good Consistent Leader

Be sure to develop the correct relationship with your puppy early, by being a good consistent leader. This will ensure that you will have a dog that respects its position within the home, and will therefore be a well balanced and much loved member of the family.