The alpha dog
Worried about losing the alpha dog status?
Show your dog who’s boss in your home.
In the wild, where dogs live in packs, there’s a natural order of alpha dog and subservients. Alpha dog is the top dog. He is the leader. He eats first and mates first with whoever he wants.
The other dogs are followers and look up to the leader to make the important decisions and protect the pack. Every dog needs to know his place in this pecking order to be content and secure within the pack.
The alpha dog is dominant and all powerful.
This scenario is similar in the home of a domesticated dog. It’s natural to your dogs instinct to try to be the alpha dog in your pack (your family) and in your environment, if you don’t show the authority and leadership to become the alpha dog yourself.
Dogs need to live by the rules of the pack in the wild and the same is true in your home. The sooner he knows his order in life, the happier he will be and the easier he will fit into the family routine.
All dogs need some training to establish this order if you are to become the alpha dog and prevent major problems later in his life, because he will assert his authority as the alpha dog and you will find yourself living by his rules, not yours. This can be very intimidating, especially if your dog is one of the larger breeds.
Some simple rules you can apply to establish yourself as the alpha dog include making sure your family eat first at meal times before you feed your dog. This is natural in the wild where the alpha dog always eats first and the rest of the pack wait till he’s finished his meal before they eat.
Make a permanent place for him to sleep. He needs to feel safe and secure in his own private den. Don’t let him sleep on the furniture, or worse still, on the bed.
If you are going out with him, you go through the door fist, don’t let him pull you through, and go where you want go, not where he decides to drag you.
Don’t be submissive and walk around him if he’s in your way, move him as an alpha dog would do.
Don’t let him demand your attention, give it to him when you’re ready, and make sure he knows when you’ve had enough, tell him to lie down and leave you alone.
If you follow these simple rules and give him some good training, it won’t be long before your dog knows his order in your family. Your house will be a happier place and you will be the alpha dog in your own home.
