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We’ve always had dogs around ever since I was a kid. Even when our family was “between dogs” I adopted the next door neighbor’s Golden Retriever as my own. Despite this, as a family we didnt have a clue how to correctly train a dog. As long as he didn’t mess on the floor, chew up our slippers and finally came on the fifth yell of his name we thought things were just fine. We didn’t even realize that we need a crash course in dog training 101 or that we needed to be our dog’s pack leader!
Why Being Your Dog’s Pack Leader Is Important
Like many dog owners I didn’t know the first thing about training a dog. Well, we think we do because the dog sits or offers us a paw when we have a treat in our hands but those are just party tricks. Years ago, we didn’t even think about going to training classes with our dogs. And at that time, the most popular method was training with choke collars…times have certainly changed thankfully!
Then I bought my very own dog when I got a place of my own. As he grew, he changed from a loveable pup into a liability. He wandered off, never came when called and turned into the Tasmanian Devil whenever anybody came around. The final straw came when he tore into the room and scrambled up to sit on the shoulders of a visitor who had come to assess me for a voluntary position. He was not a dog lover and I can still remember the look on his face now…
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Trouble was, I had always treated my dogs as furry friends. I had always given in to those sad-looking eyes and never realized that the dogs saw me in a totally different way. Dogs are pack animals and as such they are acutely aware of their position in the pack and you and your family are your dog’s pack, even if there’s just the two of you.
Tips For Being Your Dog’s Pack Leader
If you grasp that little fact of dog psychology of being your dog’s pack leader, you are well on your way to a happier dog. From now on, you are going to make it plain to your dog that you are the Alpha or leader of the pack and what you say goes. See that furniture? That’s mine. You lie on the floor or in your dog basket. Don’t feed the dog tidbits from the dinner table. In fact, the dog should be in his basket or on his bed while you eat. And he only gets fed after everybody else has finished.
But isn’t that just being mean and taking all the fun out of owning a dog?
The Pack Leader Eats First
The leader of the dog pack eats first. He sleeps in the best spot. The Alpha takes no notice of subordinate dogs fussing around him when he returns from the hunt. When you consistently act as leader you are communicating to your dog in a language he understands.
Ignore Your Dog When He Doesn’t Greet You Properly
When you come home, ignore your dog’s frantic attempts at attention seeking until he calms down then you praise him. It won’t be long before your dog realizes he’s gone down a few notches in the pack hierarchy and acts accordingly. You’ll soon find that your dog greets you quietly and quickly settles down as he’s worked out that is when he receives praise from you.
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Why Your Dog Is Happier When You Are The Leader
Still not convinced that training your dog makes him a happier dog? Look at it from the dog’s point of view. He’s living in a human world full of confusing things and behavior he can’t understand. By not teaching your dog his place in your pack, he will feel it’s his place to take charge. But this leaves him feeling stressed, resulting in an unruly and confused dog. He will constantly be trying to make sense of an overwhelming world he cannot understand.
But when you assume command as your dog’s pack leader, you take that responsibility off his shoulders. He will be happy knowing his place, his role in the pack and what’s expected of him. And he will be happy to defer to your leadership knowing you’ll take care of the “big stuff”.
Once your dog views you as the pack leader, you will see a huge difference in him. He will be happy and more relaxed and so much easier to train and to live with.
