subject: Being the Top Dog in Your Dog's Life [print this page] Being the Top Dog in Your Dog's Life Being the Top Dog in Your Dog's Life
That fluffy fur ball on your lap may be cute and cuddly, but in his genes, he's a wolf. It has now been established that all dogs are descended from wolves, from tiny Chihuahuas to gigantic Mastiffs. And just like a wolf, your dog understands the importance of a hierarchy and social pecking order within a pack.
Although a growling and barking lapdog may seem cute and funny, this sort of behavior shouldn't be encouraged. The number one reason behind dogs being euthanized or abandoned is aggressive behavior. Your dog depends on you for its life, literally, and you should do everything in your power to protect it throughout its life, even from your own ignorance!
This is why it's vital to establish dominance over your pup from day one. By dominance I don't mean scaring the living daylights out of your mutt! If you observe wolves in their natural state, you will find that the dominant wolf or alpha wolf, never randomly attacks lesser members of his pack. On the contrary, the alpha wolf is always calm and assertive, self confidently exercising authority over his pack without resorting to anger or aggression.
Likewise, you should treat your pup calmly yet assertively. If you follow some basic simple rules, Fido should grow up to be a well acclimatized member of your family. Teaching your pup to sit and wait as you put down his food bowl will do wonders in preventing potential future food aggression problems. Only allow your pup to eat after you've given him the go ahead. Another simple rule you should instill is that your dog must never go through a door before you. While this may seem inane to you, alpha dogs always have the right of way, and allowing your dog to walk before you will simply enforce his belief that he's the alpha and not you.
Never play tug of war with your dog; though it's a fun thing to do, it's something pack leaders and alpha dogs never do with members of their pack. If an alpha dog or wolf hold something, woe betide any member of the pack who dares take it from them, it's a sure sign of disrespect, so don't encourage this in your dog.
Walk your dog daily, this will teach your dog that you are the pack leader. Dogs love to explore and sniff around, and in their wild state pack members always follow their leader, so try to emulate this on your daily walks, you should always lead, never let your dog pull you around.
Being in an alpha role simply requires common sense and an understanding of how dogs behave in a pack. It never means being violent or loud with your dog. Being an alpha essentially means being able to control your pet in a calm, assertive manner.
