How to Become Your Dog Pack Leader
As a dog owner, you understand (or will understand) that you act as the de facto pack leader. But what does that exactly mean?
Well, obviously it means that your existence is depended upon by your dog. The reason dogs stay loyal is that they still have that pack mentality within them, compelling them follow the leader because it is the only way for them to survive.
Still, we should also understand that thousands of years of domestication have changed this dynamic. Dogs are not as obedient as they were before. And even if the pack mentality is still within their systems, dogs will show certain acts of disobedience.
This leads us to believe that dog behavior is not only a biological condition, but it is also influenced by interactions with humans. In other words, your dogs behavior depends on how you treat him during the course of training him.
For many dog owners, this is an issue worth talking about since most of us want to go the easy route when it comes to dog training. To tell you the truth, there is none.
It all depends on the style of leadership you possess that will influence how your dog will behave towards you.
If anything, you should know the most effective methods that will compel your dog to treat you with respect and treat you rightly as the leader of the pack.
One surefire way to do this is simply to act like a leader. In this case, you will need to assert your authority and set the right rules that your dog should follow.
Without possessing a strong sense of authority, your dog will sense weakness in you. And no matter how hard you will try, your dog will just waive any command you give him.
As a matter of fact, you need to be assertive in every aspect of your life, since it is the only way in which you can get the results you wanted. And the same goes in the animal kingdom.
It’s basically a power struggle out there, and you might find the same kind of struggle when your pulling an expensive carpet from your puppy’s jaws. If you fail to show your dog who’s boss, then it would give him a sense to take the reins and become the leader himself.
The owner, in this sense, becomes the owned. And unless you don’t want this kind of situation to happen, you might want to apply these important methods to keep your dog in line.
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Be dominant!
And how exactly can we achieve that? Simple: by giving a dog rub downs, of course! By simply tickling your dog in the tummy area, you are giving him a reason to respect you. Aside from that, it also allows you to exert your authority over your dog and, in a way, put him in line.
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Compliment your dog
And I’m not talking about telling him “What big teeth you have!”
What I’m saying is that you should give your dog a lot of praise, especially when he successfully does a trick and be at his best behavior. Take note, though: only give your dog compliments when they do something good. Do not give them out like it was a free lunch!
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Show some mettle
Always complaining about your dog sitting on the couch when you are not looking?
The best way to go about it is to simply wave your hands and tell him to get down. Not doing anything will only spoil your dog, which does not make for strong leadership skills at all.
You have to understand that dogs have a sense of community. They do not survive well if they are on their one. It’s either they exert power or let someone else take the wheel. And of course, that someone else is YOU.
Act like a leader and the rest will just follow.
