Be Your Pack Leader

**********************Be the Pack Leader**********************

Being the pack leader is the solid foundation to solve any behaviour problem and is vital for a dog to live alongside any person successfully.
Most behaviour problems occur when the dog is unsure who is leading the pack, so they take it upon themselves to make the incorrect decision. An example of this could be like when a dog barks or growls at a stranger to warn them off. The pack leader makes ALL the decisions not the followers. The followers look to the pack leader to see how they should be acting. If their growling without being asked to.......... their leading.
If you want to correct any behaviour problem, you must first of all become the pack leader. Otherwise why should the dog listen to someone who is lower in the pecking order than themselves?
No dog is ever going to learn to speak our language, it is our responsibility to learn theirs to enable us to communicate effectively. Below are the basics to follow to ensure you communicate to your dog that you are the leader of your pack.

Calm Assertive Energy
You will never see in the wild a dog hit another dog to correct a bad behaviour. In the wild the pack leader is the one who stays the calmest in all situations. No good having a leader who flaps and panics every time a new problem arises. Only people follow unstable leaders, animals follow the alpha male who is the pack member that is the calmest and wisest.

Owning the Food
In the wild the pack leader eats first. If possible eat as a family before feeding your dog. With modern family life this is not always possible, so another good way of gaining a higher pecking order than your dog is by taking it in turns to feed your dog. Get your dog to sit then place their bowl down. Make them wait until you say “OK” before they are allowed to eat. If they move before being released take the bowl back up and repeat.

Pecking Order Space
Lower members of the pack are NOT allowed to enter the higher member’s space without permission. This is a great way to show your dog that all family members are higher in the pecking order. Make it clear to the dog that they may not enter anyone’s bedroom without permission.
A dog sleeping on the bed is not a problem, after all the pack sleeps together in the wild. But they only sleep on the bed or in that space if they have been given permission to do so from the higher members of the pack.

Come and go as you please
The pack leader comes and goes as they please without other members of the pack questioning it. The majority of Separation Anxiety issues stem from not being established as the pack leader. In a nutshell it is the same as a parent would react if their child wondered off. Dogs have separation anxiety when we leave the house and they are the pack leader who is unable to reach their child to protect them. Wouldn’t you try and break through a wall to be able to reach your child to protect them? Become the pack leader and they no longer are the ones who need to protect. The best way to enforce this in a dog’s language is to not acknowledge your dog when leaving or entering your home. No eye contact, no sound for 5 minutes prior to leaving or after arriving home. If your dog jumps up at you, gently push them away not shove and carry on with your daily duties. Don’t even say “No” or “Get Down” as this gives them acknowledgement which will only encourage the behaviour. Once the 5 minutes are up, Call you dog, when the dog comes, reward with a treat and give affection. This is a great start for getting your dog to come to you when called on a walk and it also teaches your dog that the affection is on the pack leader’s terms. As you reward with the dog coming on command if your dog doesn’t there must be consequences. Don’t give your dog any attention for 20mins and then try again.

Master the walk
The pack leader always heads the hunt for food. When you get the lead out to take your dog on a walk, they will normally go berserk. This is natural, in the wild the followers run in circles. They are pumping the adrenaline and getting each other ready for the big hunt. Once your dog has calmed, put on their lead and lead them to your front door. You as the leader should walk in front at all times, so you are first through doorways and first when walking. There are many methods to choose from to master the walk but the important thing is you must head the hunt to become the pack leader.

Brilliant facts.
They work everytime.

MissRogue wrote:Brilliant facts.
They work everytime.

not every time all staffys have there awkward days lol

Thanks for this information.
I dont have my puppy as yet. we pick her up xmas eve
but it is great to read all this info BEFORE we get her so we do it right from the start
x

bigwazza wrote:

MissRogue wrote:Brilliant facts.
They work everytime.

not every time all staffys have there awkward days lol

Tell me about it!!!

I'll put this in to practice with Logan! thanks!

very good post,with lots of usefull info...

Great read

first thing i do with any dog i have owned is to give them a dog chew or similar then i get down to there level and take it away from them with my teeth to show them i am pack leader .
also never fed them while you are eating if you have to give them titbits make them wait until you have finished eating then give them bit what are left. this shows them you are pack leader and they have to wait until you have eaten.

Great article on being a pack leader, I enjoyed it.
Cesar Millan the dog whisper here is the USA has some great reads on being a pack leader.

Great post Blue. I wish ALL dog owners had access to it!

Excellent framework to work to

E-Dog wrote:Great article on being a pack leader, I enjoyed it.
Cesar Millan the dog whisper here is the USA has some great reads on being a pack leader.

Watching and reading about Cesar is what made me take Dog physcology which works everytime and not just dog training.

sorry but i think he a load of bollicx makes good tv but you only see the bits they want you to see and the people on the show are always loaded.
people try and copy what he does and put them selves in danger.
leave it to the profesionals not what you learn in a houf hour program that takes days to make

bigwazza wrote:sorry but i think he a load of bollicx makes good tv but you only see the bits they want you to see and the people on the show are always loaded.
people try and copy what he does and put them selves in danger.
leave it to the profesionals not what you learn in a houf hour program that takes days to make

The show may be a load of **** but not his method which is what i enjoy learning lol i don't teach myself off his show you know there is an actual course and besides he's not so bad to look at and he's a little crazy which i don't mind.

I think he is good at what he does, and I'll take practical tips from him about things like pulling on the lead and housetraining, but I wouldnt try his methods for aggressive or dominant dogs or anything like that, i'd prob get mauled. I really rate vikki stillwell. She concentrates more on the actual issues and training rather than the psychology. I think they're both good at their jobs, but I think if I had to choose one as a trainer, it'd be vikki.

Shontelle wrote:I think he is good at what he does, and I'll take practical tips from him about things like pulling on the lead and housetraining, but I wouldnt try his methods for aggressive or dominant dogs or anything like that, i'd prob get mauled. I really rate vikki stillwell. She concentrates more on the actual issues and training rather than the psychology. I think they're both good at their jobs, but I think if I had to choose one as a trainer, it'd be vikki.

Vikki is really good don't get me wrong but i feel she only helps the breed/name but not the dogs which is why i'v never seen her with an extremely aggressive dog or extreme anything really. Cesar gets called because training didn't and doesn't work on the dog only the breed and name. now if they worked as a team Cesar rehabilitating the dog vikki comes in with training the breed/name what a team that would make.

I've seen vikki work with an incredibly aggressive American Bulldog and 2 aggressive pitbulls. The American Bulldog was so protective of his owner that he literally went for the throat of anyone who entered the house. Vikki worked wonders with him.

Shontelle wrote:I've seen vikki work with an incredibly aggressive American Bulldog and 2 aggressive pitbulls. The American Bulldog was so protective of his owner that he literally went for the throat of anyone who entered the house. Vikki worked wonders with him.

Sorry i wouldn't class those ones as extremely aggressive aggressive yes but not extremely.

If you'd seen the American Bulldog, you wouldn't say that. It LITERALLY tried to kill anyone who came near his owner. He had to be muzzled constantly and someone put one of those police training suits on to see what he would do to someone who came in the house and the dog ripped the suit to shreds. If the bloke hadnt been wearing it, the dog would've killed him. Even Cesar wouldnt have gone near him without some sort of protection. Cesar is very good at his job, no doubt about that, but even he has limits.

MissRogue wrote:

E-Dog wrote:Great article on being a pack leader, I enjoyed it.
Cesar Millan the dog whisper here is the USA has some great reads on being a pack leader.

Watching and reading about Cesar is what made me take Dog physcology which works everytime and not just dog training.

In my opinion Cesar Milan is a fake. Sure, he has a way with some dogs, but I can't stand some of his methods (ie electric collars), you don't see his failures & he only ever works with the rich.

MissRogue wrote:

Shontelle wrote:I've seen vikki work with an incredibly aggressive American Bulldog and 2 aggressive pitbulls. The American Bulldog was so protective of his owner that he literally went for the throat of anyone who entered the house. Vikki worked wonders with him.

Sorry i wouldn't class those ones as extremely aggressive aggressive yes but not extremely.

It doesn't matter what breed they are, if they're aggressive, they're aggressive, if the trainer worked with the dog and changed that, then she's worked with an aggressive dog. Even a dopey collie can be aggressive.

I didn't mean to imply that AB's and Pitbulls are aggessive or anything, just in answer to Miss R that she had never seen Vikki deal with aggressive dogs, those are the aggressive dogs that I've seen her deal with. When it comes down to it, dogs like collies are probably more likely to be aggressive than AB's and pits. They get such a hard rap but generally they're loving, loyal and obedient dogs. I agree though, aggression is aggression whether it's from a Great Dane or a Chihauhua.

Oh, no I know Shontelle, you were just using them as an example.
Sowwy if it came across the wrong way!
**makes note to make sure her comments are aimed at the right people next time**

Lol. No worries, just realised that I used two breeds that are always called aggressive but it's only because that's what I saw. Whereabouts in Cornwall do you live by the way? I'm just over the bridge in Plymouth, I know the area pretty well.

In a small village close to Falmouth

MissRogue wrote:

Shontelle wrote:I've seen vikki work with an incredibly aggressive American Bulldog and 2 aggressive pitbulls. The American Bulldog was so protective of his owner that he literally went for the throat of anyone who entered the house. Vikki worked wonders with him.

Sorry i wouldn't class those ones as extremely aggressive aggressive yes but not extremely.

missrogue sorry but the breeds given in general cant be classed as extremely aggresive but some examples of the breeds sure can if you ever met the american bull that was used to secure the building site over the road from me a few years ago you would deff have a differant opinion lol the gaurds would make sure the site was sacure on a night then open the cage in the van electronicaly and the same in the morning give the signal he would jump in his cage and lock electronicaly even his handler wouldnt go near him without a bite suit

bigwazza wrote:

MissRogue wrote:

Shontelle wrote:I've seen vikki work with an incredibly aggressive American Bulldog and 2 aggressive pitbulls. The American Bulldog was so protective of his owner that he literally went for the throat of anyone who entered the house. Vikki worked wonders with him.

Sorry i wouldn't class those ones as extremely aggressive aggressive yes but not extremely.

missrogue sorry but the breeds given in general cant be classed as extremely aggresive but some examples of the breeds sure can if you ever met the american bull that was used to secure the building site over the road from me a few years ago you would deff have a differant opinion lol the gaurds would make sure the site was sacure on a night then open the cage in the van electronicaly and the same in the morning give the signal he would jump in his cage and lock electronicaly even his handler wouldnt go near him without a bite suit

Jeesh, maybe I should talk the OH outta getting an American Bulldog :S
They just look so big and cuddly

It's how they're brought up!

Very true, but I wanna get a rescue American Bulldog.... But that aint gonna be for a while yet, so no point fretting over it for now lol
I'm sure Molly would put it in it's place any way

in my oppinion for any training or pack leadership skills you have to work with the dog in question not the breed as miss r says, you can take say ten dogs of the same breed and they all will be guaranteed to have different personalitys and they will all need different methods of training and learning, knowing the psychology of the breed wont come into it knowing the dog in question however does. unless i have picked up wrong on what she is talking about.

All breeds of dogs can be aggressive no doubt about it but the bull breeds are different they have a tendency to hold on its the damage of the bite . I would rather have a bite from a german sheperd then a bull breed if they were equally people aggressive. Ceasar milan series is good watching and he does no for sure the physciology of the dog.

bigwazza wrote:

MissRogue wrote:

Shontelle wrote:I've seen vikki work with an incredibly aggressive American Bulldog and 2 aggressive pitbulls. The American Bulldog was so protective of his owner that he literally went for the throat of anyone who entered the house. Vikki worked wonders with him.

Sorry i wouldn't class those ones as extremely aggressive aggressive yes but not extremely.

missrogue sorry but the breeds given in general cant be classed as extremely aggresive but some examples of the breeds sure can if you ever met the american bull that was used to secure the building site over the road from me a few years ago you would deff have a differant opinion lol the gaurds would make sure the site was sacure on a night then open the cage in the van electronicaly and the same in the morning give the signal he would jump in his cage and lock electronicaly even his handler wouldnt go near him without a bite suit

I never said anything about the breed so where that came from i have no idea. I said those ones in my opinion where not extremely aggressive, aggressive yes but not extremely. which is true because i'v seen much worse i do NOT discriminate against breeds.i was refering to the cases so i'd atleast appreciate it if one asked if i meant what everyone else thought, before i get a lecture

jaykay wrote:in my oppinion for any training or pack leadership skills you have to work with the dog in question not the breed as miss r says, you can take say ten dogs of the same breed and they all will be guaranteed to have different personalitys and they will all need different methods of training and learning, knowing the psychology of the breed wont come into it knowing the dog in question however does. unless i have picked up wrong on what she is talking about.

behaviours such as aggression/fear etc come from the dog not the the breed so no you should work with the dog first then move onto the breed to know what will best work example. such as terriers have a high prey drive so you can work that into training then you move onto personality.