Articles
Signs That Your Dog May Not Be Treating
You As Leader Of The Pack
By Delores Burton—K-9 Campus
Are you guilty of doing or allowing any of the following? (Definite no, nos,
especially if you have a dog that tends to be aggressive.) These things may seem
harmless or insignificant to you, but they mean lots to a dog.
1. Does he growl, snarl or snap at you if you try to move him?
2. Did you give him lots of treats, love, hugs, talking in nice tones even
though he was doing nothing but lying there looking cute?
3. Does he sit on the sofa? Perhaps you let him have a nice comfy spot on your
bed!
4. Does he lay in walkways blocking your way? Maybe instead of making him move,
did you step over him?
5. Have there been times you have called him to come, or told him to sit, and he
ignored you, and you did nothing about it?
6. Did you ever play tug of war, and let him win and play with the toy
afterward?
7. Are all members of your family in agreement and consistent with the same
method of training?
8. Do you allow him to circle you or excessively lick you?
9. Do you let him have some scraps from the table?
10. Do you let your dog enter the door, gate, car, before you?
11. Do you open the door for your dog when he scratches to be let in?
12. Do you automatically pet your dog when he paws at you or nudges you with his
nose?
13. Do you comfort him and pet him and say “It’s Okay” when he barks at company?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, the dog is misbehaving or even
shows aggression because he mistakenly thinks he is the Alpha dog in your house,
or he is in conflict because you are sending him mixed messages. What may be
clear to you can be completely confusing to your dog. You may unknowingly be
sending conflicting messages to your dog, whereby he will then make up his own
mind.
Answers to Survey:
1. A dog should never be allowed to show even the slightest hint of aggression.
If your dog displays that type of behavior, he should receive the highest form
of discipline. If you are unable to do this with confidence, perhaps a muzzle is
for you. All you have to do is win a couple of disputes and it won’t be an issue
any more. If you are in doubt about how to administer a proper correction, seek
the advice of a professional.
2. You can give him all the love you want, just make him earn it. Make him earn
everything before you give him any affection or food (for example, make him sit
before you pet him, or before you give him his food, or let him in the house.)
He must rely on you for everything.
3. As a general rule, your dog should never sit on the sofa or bed. Occasionally
there are exceptions to the rule with the more docile dogs. However, in the dog
world, the dog that is lying equal to your level or higher up is the Alpha dog.
You always want to be at least a head above your dog.
4. Make your dog moves if he is in your way. Do not step over him or go around
him.
5. Never give a command you know you can’t or won’t enforce. Enforce every
command. Make him obey on the first command. Do not repeat, or make your command
sound like a request or a question. If you give him an option, he will ignore
you. It takes getting away with something just once for him to challenge your
authority.
6. Never play tug-of-war with an aggressive dog. It kicks in their instinct to
compete and challenge. If you allow your dog to win a tug-of-war and take the
toy off to a corner, as far as he is concerned, that is his prize, his kill, and
he may challenge you if you try to take it from him. If you do play tug-of-war,
you must always win in the end.
7. All members of the family should be consistent with training. All humans are
above your dog. He must respect all members of your family. He must like who you
like.
8. Circling and excessive licking are signs of dominance, however passive it may
seem to you. An occasional kiss is acceptable but you must stop excessive
licking. If he is circling you or your guests, cut him off. To the dog, that is
like “herding his flock”.
9. Never feed him scrapes from the table. Try to feed yourself before you feed
your dogs. If that is not practical, he can only eat when you give him
permission to eat.
10. Doors and gates are very significant to dogs. To them it means, “whoever
goes through the door first is leader”. You always go through doors first, or
give them permission to go ahead of you.
11. Do not open the door for your dog when he scratches to be let in. He is
giving you orders when he does that. When you open the door for him, it
re-enforces bad behavior. Either ignore him until he stops, then let him in, or,
make it your idea. Go to the door, make him sit and then invite him in. Do not
let him come in as soon as the door is opened. He must wait to be invited.
12. If your dog wants to be pet by nudging you with his nose or pawing at you,
ignore him, or at the very least, make him do something to earn that attention,
otherwise you will have a pest on your hands.
13. When you try to calm a dog down while he is growling or barking by petting
him and saying “It’s okay”, you are reinforcing that bad behavior. In his mind,
you are encouraging him to continue. Never pet a dog that is growling or
barking.
HELPFUL HINTS
Dogs show love by showing respect, and you can do things to gain your dogs
respect, and thereby his trust.
MOST IMPORTANT— Exercise, Exercise, Exercise. About 50% of his interaction with
you should be some form of working off excess energy. A minimum of ½ hr. walk,
chasing the ball, training, playing—whatever it takes to tire him out. It also
puts you in the leadership role and builds a bond between you and your dog.
Exercise also releases endorphins to relax him so he is not so uptight. When
walking, swing your arms naturally. If your dog is not in a heel position then
he should be walking freely behind you or beside you. That is a sign of respect.
Next, you give boundaries and limitations. Show what is acceptable in your world
and what is not and enforce them always. Never let anything slide, or your dog
will constantly test you.
If you remain calm and assertive, your dog will be calm and submissive. Dogs do
not follow emotional or affectionate leaders. They follow calm, confident
leaders.
After you have exercised, done some sort of leadership activities--then you can
share affection. Always in this order: exercise, discipline, affection.
You are doing your dog a favor by taking away the responsibility for him to make
decisions. You must make all decisions for your dog. Your dog should always look
to you for guidance.
You decide when playtime starts and when it is over.
Remember: You cannot impose human feelings and thoughts on your dog. They do not
reason like humans. They rely on their instincts, smell, body language and
energy.
Timing is crucial when correcting your dog. You must catch him in the act, or
you must deter his bad behavior BEFORE it escalates. You must break his
concentration and redirect. This can be done by touch, sound, body language, a
pop on the collar, a strong “watch” command—whatever works. When you give a
correction, do not get mad or emotional. You correct, the dog submits, then let
it go. You walk away. Do not let the dog walk away from you. If he wants to go
hide and cool off, that’s fine, but you must be the one to dismiss.
If Your Dog is Aggressive:
Take him to the vet to rule out the possibility of a health problem.
Neutering will usually help calm an aggressive dog, especially the males. Get
him neutered before he establishes bad behaviors and they become a habit.
With an aggressive dog, look for a lower protein diet. High protein may give
your dog too much energy. There are low protein dog foods that are healthy. Do
not feed chicken or lamb. Some dogs are sensitive and may have a negative
reaction.
If your dog is nervous or aggressive, perhaps you might want to try a natural
herb called Rescue Remedy. Rescue Remedy is most often used for emergencies or
stressful situations. Helps replace panic with control. Restores focus and clean
head when dazed. Helps clam and restore sense of peace, neutralizes the effects
of trauma. The good thing is there are no side effects, it does not drug your
dog, it does not change his personality, it does not interfere with other
medications. You can buy it at health food stores. It works on some dogs, and
some it does not. If you give it to him on a treat, it usually takes effect
within 15 minutes.
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO COMMIT TO THESE GUIDELINES AND THE HELP HE NEEDS, THERE ARE
VERY FEW OTHER OPTIONS.