"There is a
whole specrum of anti-social behaviours between the extremes of an
attack and the apparently harmless habit of jumping up at people, but
to a dog they aren't that far apart. "Dominance" is not
considered to be a socially acceptable phrase these days, but dogs
don't do tact. Like human society, the canine pecking order has
leaders and followers - alphas and betas in psychology speak.
Human alphas end up running things, just as they have done throughout
history. Nowadays they aren't allowed to kill people who don't do
what they want, or even shout at them any more. Dogs haven't
heard of employment tribunals, so their alphas still bite, bark, bonk
and scrag any dog inferior to them. And here's the problem; they
will treat us the same way if we don't assert ourselves."
Janet Menzies - The Field - June 2007
Some dog owners are naturally strong, confident types who don't
panic easily and who have the natural ability to glide into their role
as alpha without so much as a hiccup, for the rest of us we have to
learn to be more assertive and "alpha" and it can be a hard transition
to make.
Dogs need boundaries and structure to their lives just like children,
and it is your responsibilty as owners to create this secure framework.
Letting your dogs know who is in charge will not make them dislike
you! On the contrary it will
give them a secure feeling that someone is in charge and all is right
with the world. All too often dogs with no structure in their
lives grow up into dominant pack leaders who have the whole household
singing to their tune add a touch of aggression and we end up with canine hooligans
and a potential for tragedies happening like the
ones we are hearing on the news all too often.
Dogs are very resposive to tone so we have to learn to use the tone of
our voices much more than we are used to. To be able to keep our
dogs attention we must use a range of tones from the gentle tone that
praises him through long, drawn out sounds to calm him, to the abrupt
abrasive commands which reprimand him. Some people find it
very difficult to speak loudly so it is necessary to practice
magnifying our gruff tones. Utilising these voice
changes show the dog that we are setting the pace and even controlling
his mood.
Be consistent with your rewards. Dogs should always be rewarded
for the things they have done right and the naughty things should be
ignored. Rewarding does not necessarily mean food, a stroke under
the chin, or a pat on the head will surfice. Anything that
acknowledges a job well done.
Don't let your dog get the upper hand physically. At no time
should his head be above yours e.g on the back of the sofa. He
should allways roll over willingly to have his tummy tickled and he
should not jump up on the sofas, chairs or beds unless invited by
you. He should not push past you on the stairs or through
doorways but wait patiently utill he is invited to follow you. Remember
this is your house not his, and manners cost nothing.
When out on a walk never let your dog drag you down the road. If
he pulls on the lead give a sharp tug and release back to a loose lead,
plant your feet sqarely on the ground and don't move untill he has sat
down beside you quietly. His reward for doing that will be
continuing his walk. Sometimes with a dog used to getting his own
way this will be a testing time - if it means not going anywhere for a
while - so be it, it is his decision not yours. The
most important rule is to never let a misdemeanour go without doing
something about it. Every time you let your dog get away with
being dominant you have actually shown submission. In the home
there are a plethera of opportunities for your dog to gain alpha
position, by jumping up at you, mounting, growling and barking, by
jumping on to tables, chairs, sofas to name but a few.
Reprimand the
dog sharply and make him sit on his own bed, only rewarding when he is
genuinely sitting quietly. Then ask him to do a simple command
such as come to you and sit at your feet, and again reward him.
This re-establishes your dominance in three ways:
1. You have reprimanded
bad behaviour;
2. You have made the dog
obey your command;
3. You have shown your
power to reward the behaviour you want.
A dog in
the wrong place should be physically removed and reprimanded.
Make him sit on his bed for a few minutes before rewarding him for the
sitting behaviour.
