Owner can become pack leader in humane way
Dear Readers: Last week, I shared the first half of my "Pack Leader" article, which addresses behavioral issues that relate to a dog's willingness to learn, follow direction and become a well-adjusted, well-behaved member of the family. This half of the article describes how to become a pack leader in effective and humane ways.
This problem can be avoided if you make an effort to learn proper techniques to gain leadership. If you are incapable or unwilling to provide the leadership that a dog needs, do yourself and your dog a favor -- find him a good home. Yes, it's that important.
However, don't be intimidated. Becoming pack leader is not such a daunting task.
You do not need to be mean or cruel to your dog in order to achieve a pack leader status. If you treat a dog abusively, he or she will learn only to fear and distrust you. You simply need to learn to be firm and consistent, as well as loving and fair, and your dog will accept you as pack leader.
Canine pack leaders are consistent, and they maintain their leadership position. Pack followers know what to expect from the pack leader. If you are inconsistent, it is a sign of weakness to your dog. If you show weakness, your dog will test you.
Obedience training capitalizes on a dog's pack-leader instincts, but it is not brute force and dominance. You need to be gentle and assertive.
Canine pack leaders show affection toward their followers. They play with subordinates. They share food with and groom subordinates. They even sleep close to them.
This is why it is important to pet, praise and show affection to your dog. Along with teaching your dog that he or she must obey you, you also must show what we humans call love. Let your dog know that obedient behavior pleases you.
Praising your dog positively reinforces behavior that you want your dog to repeat. Positive reinforcement is an essential part of successful dog training.
How many humans can be pack leader in a family?
Dog often do not respond to everyone in the family in the same way. The person who spends the most time training and exercising the dog will get the best results. Young children often cannot convince most dogs that they are a more dominant member of the pack than the dog is. School-age children or teens also should not be given the primary responsibility of training the family's dog. This is a job for adults in the family. If older children are interested, they should help under the guidance of an adult.
If you, as the dog's trainer, make an effort to be consistent with your dog's training, your dog will learn to follow direction from you. He or she might not pay very much attention to commands from other family members.
And the good news is that when your dog is trained properly, no one can undo the training that you have achieved. No one can undo your pack leadership role,
Your dog never will "resent" you for being pack leader. In fact, he or she will love and respect you more. In the wild, the pack leader is the most respected member of the pack.
Training through a canine point of view will strengthen the bond between you and your dog. Dogs are happier and more secure when they are treated like canines. I've observed that the most confused and unhappy dogs are those that are trained from an anthropomorphic (humanized) point of view. And their owners are the most frustrated people who have ever owned a dog.
Don't forget the other components to success: exercise and socialization. Dogs that receive adequate daily exercise are mentally balanced creatures who can maintain emotional control. A dog that is out of emotional control cannot learn to behave properly. Socialization is imperative if a dog is going to be a secure, confident canine citizen.
Enjoy training your dog. Be confident, gentle, calm and assertive. Think pack leader.
