Are You the Pack-Leader? How to Communicate Effectively With Your Dog for a Harmonious Relationship By: Justine Kay

As dogs are pack animals, it is important to understand that they are always aware of their position in the pack. This pack will encompass you, your family, other pets and of course all the dogs in the household. The Alpha dog or pack leader is seen by your dog as the leader and protector of the whole pack, and it is therefore crucial that you take on this role. Your dog will be healthier and happier if it feels secure in it's pack, knowing that his leader is doing their job and keeping everyone safe.

The first step to doing this is to know which signals your dog will understand. You will need to consistently communicate “alpha signals” to your dog in a compassionate and respectful way. This does not entail being aggressive, overbearing or bullying your dog! It is simply a matter of learning the language that a dog understands and using the correct signals. Mixed signals and inconsistency will confuse your dog, making him think that the pack leader is not effective. Your dog will be stressed and feel that it is encumbered upon him to try to take over as alpha to stabilise the pack. If he does this, it is not because he is being “bad”, but that you have given him the wrong signals.

So what are these signals and how do you communicate them effectively? Firstly, the pack leader always eats before the other pack members, so you MUST eat your dinner completely and clear the table before giving your dog his bowl of food. He should see you eating and understand clearly that he can only eat once you have completely finished. Then make him sit before placing his bowl down for him and allowing him to eat. If you have been in the habit of feeding your dog before your dinner, or even during, this may take a while for your dog to become accustomed to. Be aware that any fuss he makes while you're eating is part of his learning process. You are giving him new signals, new information about the pack and you must let him understand this. He may need time to assimilate this new information, so be firm but patient.

Secondly, you should always lead your dog, especially through doorways and narrow passages. NEVER let your dog push past you or in front of you. The pack leader in a dog pack would never allow a subordinate dog to push past or “lead” the pack, and therefore neither should you. Use a leash if need be, but always ensure you enter doors, rooms, gates etc. in front of your dog. Neither should you let your dog run up stairs in front of you. This allows him to run to the top and look down on you, displaying classic dominant behaviour. The key to this is NOT to punish the wrong behaviour – it is too late to do that – but to not allow him to exhibit alpha behaviour in the first place. Use a leash, close doors, give a short, sharp shout, whatever your dog responds to, but remember to be firm, kind and respectful. You are talking to your dog, not trying to bully him into submission. The key for all these techniques is repetition, consistency and patience.

Read more of Justine Kay's dog training articles at her comprehensive site [http://www.dogs-trainingtips.com/]Dog Training Tips

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Exercise Your Dog to a Balanced Life

Exercising your dog regularly is the best thing you can do for your dog and you. However, the exercise must be structured and a psychological challenge as well as a physical one. Opening up the back door and letting your dog run about in the back yard is not a psychological challenge for the dog, nor is it a structured exercise. If the exercise is not structured all the dog is doing is expending energy, and neither the dog nor you are receiving anything from it. A good structured exercise program, like regular walks, will relieve your dog of the excess energy which can cause behavior problems. It will also help to show your dog that you are the strong assertive leader that he desires in his life. During the walk keep the dog at your side or behind you. Do not let your dog out in front with you following him. Stop often and make the dog sit by your side until you are ready to move. If you know of a particular house on your walk that has a barking dog, stand out in front with your dog facing away from the barking dog and don’t let him look that way by giving a sharp correction each time he looks. Eventually, your dog will get it that he can’t look at the barking dog and will walk casually by. This is all a psychological challenge for the dog. How good would it feel to walk past barking and growling dogs with yours casually strolling by your side just happy to be following his leader on their mission.

There are other ways to exercise your dog and make it a challenge for him. If your dog likes retrieving tennis balls or flying discs you can make it more of a challenge for him. Put your dog in a sit position in front of you and make him hold there while you show him the ball (or flying disc). Make this hold a different length each time. Then get your dog to run around you before he takes off for ball. This is easily taught by taking the ball in your hand, extend your arm out in front of you saying “get the ball”. Then swing your arm back around your back saying “go around”. The dog will follow your arm motion right around you, then throw the ball forward. Before long all you’ll have to say is “go around” and the dog will take off around you and head out for the ball. Playing this way with your dog will not only give him the physical exercise that the dog needs, but also the psychological challenge that will serve to keep his mind sharp and his life balanced.

You can come up with your own psychological challenges for your dog. Anything your dog likes to do can be turned into this type of challenge for the dog. You are only limited by your imagination. So get out there with your dog and give the dog some challenges. You will soon see a new dog in front of you, a dog you can be proud of, a dog that will follow you to the ends of the earth. It feels great to have a balanced dog and you will also feel better about yourself having lead your dog to a life that the dog desires.

Dog Obedience Training - Is Your Dog Training You? by Mike Peredo

A few simple things to remember in dog obedience training:

1. Be consistent. It will make your dog training task easier and more effective
2. Correct your dog immediately
3. Use physical touch to help your dog understand what is being asked
4. Reward the desired behaviour, every time
5. Get your family involved
6. Set aside a regular training time and make it fun

The most critical and difficult task in dog training is being consistent. Always ask for and expect the desired behaviour from your dog. If your dog isn't given clear commands every time he misbehaves, it will seem to him that the behaviour is acceptable, at least some of the time. Training your dog to obey requires self-discipline and determination.

If you are not consistent, your dog will end up training you! This might sound ridiculous but consider this: dogs are genetically conditioned to respond to a hierarchy. In the wild, in any pack of dogs, there is only one alpha dog. In your home, your family is your dog's pack. You don't want your dog to consider himself the dominant pack member. If he does he will never obey you or behave in a predictable manner.

As an example, let's say that Stanley has a dog named Poochy. Poochy likes to sleep on the couch. Sometimes, Stanley tolerates it and at other times he scolds Poochy and moves him to his dog bed. The result of this effort? Poochy has no idea what is expected of him. The rest of the family probably isn't sure either, and will not see Poochy on the couch as something that requires their immediate action.

Stanley explains to his family what Poochy must learn (no lying on the couch). Every family member promises to react in the same way; they will tell Poochy "no" as soon as they see him on the couch, they will move him to his dog bed and they will reward him with affection when this action is completed. Poochy will not only get the message that the couch is bad, but will also understand that the dog bed is good.

Did you notice that they reacted as soon as they saw Poochy indulging in the undesirable behaviour? Sometimes it might seem easier to ignore the behaviour if you're in the middle of something and go back to correct the dog later. Your dog will know that you didn't follow up right away. With a short attention span (after all, who knows if time runs fast or slow for a dog?) dealing with it later is as bad as not dealing with it at all.

They also physically led Poochy to his dog bed. By helping your dog perform the required behavior, the dog training process can go faster. If you are trying to get him to sit and he isn't cooperating you can help him along by gently pushing down his behind.

The reward of affection followed every time Poochy returned to his dog bed. Be consistent in positive reinforcement. If your dog does something desirable, always reward it. Use affection, a reassuring voice and a doggie treat (if you have one handy). By using all three rewards together, your dog learns that any of the three can be a reward.

Let's say Poochy slumped down on a priceless rug instead of going all the way to his dog bed. What should Stanley and his family do? They don't want Poochy on the rug either, but at least he's off the couch. It's this simple; if Poochy doesn't complete the desired action, he doesn't get the reward. Eventually, he will learn to associate the reward with the action. A partial reward for 'trying' will only confuse the dog and lengthen the time required to learn the desired behavior.

Regular training sessions are another way to be consistent. Set aside at least 20-30 minutes each day for dog training and make sure to follow through on it. This will be beneficial for both you and your dog. Try to make the training fun and you will both be looking forward to your daily training sessions. Don't overdo it though. Like small children, dogs have a short attention span and going for too long will just tire him out.

By being completely consistent in your dog training efforts it is possible to for your dog to change his behavior in a few days instead of months. Consistency is the sign of a leader. By behaving consistently, your dog will be able to look up at you with respect and feel secure in knowing what you expect of him.

I've just explained how being clear and consistent in your dog obedience training makes it easier for you to get results from your training efforts. In short: enlist your family's participation, physically guide your dog, reward him with affection for completed actions, train regularly, act immediately, and be consistent.

Mike Peredo is lives in Canada and is especially fond of corgis.

For more great articles and resources on dog obedience training visit http://www.dog-training.co.nr

Dogs are Not People Too

A common problem that most dog owners make is treating their dog like a human. Dogs are not human and when we treat them as a human we are sending them the completely wrong signals. Dogs need and desire leadership. When we treat our dog as we would say our three month old baby for example (you know what I mean the high pitched voices etc. etc.) it sends them a signal that we are not strong but we are weak. If your dog perceives you as weak, the dog will believe that there is leadership void in his pack and try to fill that void. This clearly is not a desirable situation. Dogs taking over the leadership role in a human household will lead to all kinds of undesirable behaviors within the dog. What is needed is to treat your dog like a dog.

To project confident and strong leadership to your dog there are some simple things you can do:

1. When leaving the house for a walk with your dog, never allow the dog out the door first.

2. Keep your dog at your side or behind during the walk.

3. Always talk to your dog with a strong confident voice, while the dog does not understand the words it will certainly pick up on the strength of the message.

4. Dogs read body language, always walk tall and confident with your dog.

5. At meal time be sure your dog is calm and submissive, not overly excited. Make your dog sit and be calm before you give him the food.

6. A personal touch of his food, i.e. mixing it with your hands, will help the dog to understand that you are the leader. In the wild the pack leader (Alpha Dog) always eats first. Your scent on the dog’s food will simulate that you have finished with it and now he/she may eat.

These are just some of the ways we can show our dogs that we are the leader that they desire in their lives. Experiment with your own and watch for results that your dog is submissive to you.

There are some who will read this and say that by doing all these things to obtain pack leadership that we are being mean to our dogs or somehow giving them a lesser role in our lives. To the contrary what we are doing is relieving our dogs of responsibilities which they cannot perform. Leadership within their pack is as important to a dog as any thing else in their lives. By you fulfilling this role the dog will be well-balanced and calm. The dog will be in control and as result will be easier to train and more fun to be around. You will not have to keep your dog away from social situations; it can be part of them. The dog will be a bigger part of your life, and as result the dog and you will be more fulfilled.