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So, lets start here with explaining some of the canine behavior. Lets try and get you familiar with some basics to make you understand how a dog sees us and how we behave and what we can do to make your dog see you as the leader of the pack. For a lot of different members of the canine family goes the same; their life and their world are built based on a pack identity. The best example is to look at how wolves live and interact with each other, to get a good idea of what canine behavior is. There is no other way for the wolves but to live together in a pack, as they could never survive in the wild alone. Within every wolf pack there can only be one leader, and below the top dog there is the pack, that always has an ordered hierarchy. Our dogs need this hierarchy as well. In your doggies mind, the world simply exists of leaders and of those who will follow. If you do not comply to the rules of canine behavior by taking the role of the leader upon you, then you leave the door wide open for your pooch to set the rules. Allowing your dog to be the leader is what causes most problems between dogs and their owner. Your dog can love you unconditionally, but still not respect you because you fail to be the leader of the pack. And that is exactly what you need, your doggies respect before you can expect any results from training to turn your pooch into a well behaved dog.
The basics of canine behavior are actually quite simple. The dominant dog will never try to be more submissive and the lower ranked dogs will not easily challenge its authority. If you do not maintain your authority over your dog, it will not think twice and you can count on it to take charge. Within the pack, the top dog or alpha dog always gets the best of everything. He, as the alpha dog is always a male, gets to pick the best food, eats first only allowing the other pack members to join him when he is good and ready. He is the one that gets the best women and has the best place to sleep. He will tell the members of the pack when their canine behavior is out of line by warning them with a growl and he makes sure to keep them in line. The pack members that are lower in rank always seek his approval and spend a lot of their time licking him. If you happen to be the low dog on the totem pole, well, a good part of your canine behavior consists of sucking up to the top dog. The alpha dog however never seeks their approval or attention. He does not lick their face or ears, and will never roll on his back exposing his belly. This is not a part of his canine behavior vocabulary. The top dog is not the one who will greet the other members when returning to the pack. They will rush to greet him. This is exactly what your doggie should do and never the other way around. When you return home or get up in the morning, no matter how much you are looking forward to cuddle and play with your pooch, just wait till it comes to you to greet you. How much you hate to do this, your pooch will understand that this is the natural canine behavior of the top dog in your pack.
In your doggies world, if you allow it to be the leader, it speaks for itself that he will be the one who eats first. The one who will eat as much as it likes and when he is in a good mood he might leave some scraps for you. And it will definitely show you who is boss if you dare to try and touch its food by growling at you and if you fail to understand what he is trying to tell you, give you a corrective bite. As this is not our natural human behavior, it is real easy to make the mistake of feeding your doggie before you and your family members eat, giving your pooch every reason to simply assume that you see it as the leader of the pack. The same rules of canine behavior can be expected when it comes to sleeping arrangements, he will do as he pleases there too. If your couch looks inviting, if your favorite chair looks good or your bed is more comfortable, then that is where he will lay down to sleep. And he will be the one who decides if he will allow YOU up there with him. Can you see the trouble you can get into when you do not comply with the rules of canine behavior and give your pooch reason to think that he is in charge?
This is why it is so important to understand canine behavior. To look at your family the way your doggie sees it, as the pack that he has become a member of. You need to establish yourself and every other family member as ranked higher than your cute little puppy. This not only applies to the grown ups within your family but just as much for the children. By nature a dog handles any dominance challenge from one that is lower in rank than he is, by warning first. It will start growling and, if the challenger does not back down, a vicious attack could follow. If you have failed to live by the rules of canine behavior and did not set the ranks in your pack, your dog will see your child as a pack member that is lower in rank than he is, one that needs correction whenever it does not abide to the rules of the pack. When your dog sees himself as ranked higher than the children in your family, it can only react the same way as he has been taught while being corrected by its mother whenever he got out of line. The mother will pick the unruly pup up with her teeth by the scruff of the neck and growl and shake it. This is all natural canine behavior. Older puppies will be held by their mothers mouth over the muzzle, increasing the pressure until the pup is ready to give up. This is exactly what your pooch will do, expecting your child to submit. And any dog that is lower in rank than your doggie, would readily live by the rules of canine behavior and submit to the higher ranked dog. But, instead of quieting down the instant the dogs mouth goes around the childs arm, hand or face, it is only natural that a small child will start to scream and try to pull away. Only resulting in your pooch trying to use more pressure in an attempt to quell, as how he sees it, the challenge of its higher rank. As this canine behavior is not easily explained to a small child, the only way to try and avoid these sometimes devastating confrontations is not only for you to make sure your doggie knows its position within the hierarchy of your pack but also to never leave small children alone with a dog.
As you can see, your doggies rules are not the same as the human ones. Dogs are more precise and follow the rules of the set hierarchy within the pack. Set the rules within your family too and make sure that every family member sticks to these rules. If you do not want your pooch to lay down on the couch or the bed, let every one know that they can not allow this. Do not allow your dog or puppy to beg at the table, as the alpha dog always gets to eat first. Wait until supper is over to reward it with scraps.
There are a few real easy things that you can use from canine behavior to let your dog know that you are the leader of the pack.
First of all make frequent eye contact with him.
Never allow any misbehavior and stop and correct your pooch as soon as it happens.
Teach it to take food and treats gently from your hands, allow no pushing or grabbing or jumping up against you.
From puppy hood, start sitting down right next to your doggie when it is eating and play with the food in his dish as he eats, and keep on doing this until your doggie knows that you are the one who decides when he will be allowed to eat.
The same goes for its favorite toys. Take them away from him, starting as soon as you bring your doggie home. If he objects, you need to correct him with a deep guttural growl. Big male dogs who are respected by all, always speak in a low, firm tone.
Do not play any games with your dog that give him the chance to challenge you, like playing tug-of-war with him.
Just like it is the sum of all that you do that shows your dog that you are the top dog, if and when your doggie is going to challenge your position he will do it slowly, gradually and if you do not know the meaning of what it is trying to do, it will probably be unnoticeably. He may start with something as little as protesting when you want it to give up a toy or by snapping some food or a treat greedily from your hand. He may mouth your hand while you are brushing it or trimming its nails, or it can be something as little as rushing to beat you out the door. Do not allow these little things as they are definite signs of dominant canine behavior. Respond immediately, sharp and unwavering with a low, strong voiced STOP IT, or with a jerk on its collar or chain. This will usually give him the message loud and clear. Puppies will respond to being lifted by the scruff of the neck by looking away and avoiding your gaze. Oh, he does remember his mothers corrections like this when he was a puppy real well.
The next thing you need to know about canine behavior is reading the body language of your doggie. This is one of the ways canines communicate with each other. Learn to speak his language. The following are some common gestures and the meaning of what your pooch is trying to tell you.
Your doggie is showing you that it is submitting when it is rolling onto its back, flattens its ears, when it has its tail between its legs, when it crouches, when it licks you, when it refuses to allow your eyes to meet or when it is dribbling urine.
Some dominant gestures in the vocabulary of canine behavior are: protectiveness of food and toys, when your doggie snarls or growls at you, when it directly stares into your eyes, its ears and tail and hackles are up, when it is standing tall with a stiff body and legs, when it refuses to move out of the way, when your pooch will not allow you to pet or fondle it, when it will not allow you to touch its hind quarters, when it dashes out of the door as soon as it is opened or when it urinates on your belongings.
Remember, the leader in a wolf pack does not threaten, flatter or coerce. He will never yell or scream or shriek in a shrill tone, nor does he need to chase after one of the pack members with a rolled up newspaper or a shoe as a disciplinary action. He does not stomp his feet or throw things. The alpha dog is the one who sets the rules that everyone has to follow and if not, all he has to do is simply growl or snap at his subordinate and they readily back off. Canines do not hold any grudges. Once the dispute has been settled, life will go on. Just remember that your dog will love you no matter what, as this is what dogs do. You must learn about canine behavior to be able to speak your doggies language and communicate with it on its own level so you will also have his respect. Earning the respect of a puppy is a whole lot easier than dealing with an adult dog that is still trying to challenge your leadership within your pack.
Dont get frightened or discouraged by the thought of you maybe having to face a dominance challenge one day, instead get educated. There are a lot of real good books that explain canine behavior and give excellent advice on how to react in case your doggie would ever try and challenge your position in the pack.
House Training Your Puppy
Crate Training Your Puppy
Crate Training An Adult Dog
Leash Training Your Puppy
Maggie and Dave
US HERE
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