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Before attempting to train your dog, you must have a grasp on the dog's mentality. It's really very simple and can be applied to just about any domestic dog. Dogs have a 'pack instinct'. This is great because it allows them to be very social animals. It may also work against you if they develop the notion that their pack level is higher than yours.
From the very start - you must teach Fido that you are, without doubt, the Alpha Dog (top dog). There are several proven methods to accomplish this task. They may seem a little peculiar - but they are tried and true! In the wild, dogs live in packs and there is always a leader, or Alpha Dog. With this position comes perks such as prime sleeping spots, first to eat and so on. Below are some ways to ensure that you are in the prime Alpha position. This is just a short listing - if you would like more detail on these points, visit our page How to Become a Pack Leader in a Human/Canine Pack.
- Dog owners may be tempted to feed their dogs before they themselves eat a meal. This teaches your dog that they are higher in the pack than you as this 'first to eat' right goes to the Alpha dog. Feed Fido after you eat.
- The Alpha dog (remember,this is You)has the right to enter all rooms, passageways and door openings first. Also, do not let your dog make you take a different path from A to B. If the dog is in the way tell them, firmly, "Move". If they are allowed to restrict your access to certain areas, they will not think that you are in charge.
- Do not let your dog demand attention from you. Sure, all dogs are excited when you come home (sometimes when you've only been outside for a minute!), but they should not be allowed to paw, nudge or whine their way into receiving affection. Because you are in control, all affection is given at your discretion.
Obedience training and behavior modification are far too in-depth for us to go into on a web page. However, we would like to leave you with some insight. Obedience training, for the majority of dogs, is not difficult. Typically, dogs have a desire to please you (because you're the Alpha Dog, right?!). Most obedience training that fails is due to the dog owner rather than the dog. Obedience is simple - you are not teaching the dog to do anything unusual. Dogs sit and lay down all of the time. With obedience training, you are training them to do these things on command which could one day save their life or keep an incident from occurring. Obedience training failure is generally due to lack of consistency on the part of the owner. When beginning any type of training for your dog you must be consistent, consistent, consistent. By this we mean, use the same phrase consistently. You can't use 'sit' one day and the next day change it to 'sit down' or 'down'. This will only confuse the pooch. Be consistent in the time that you spend training the dog. One five-minute session per week is a joke. You must expect that this will become part of your daily routine. Your dog will never show improvement if you try to train them sporadically - it must be done everyday.
We have said over and over that dog ownership is a rewarding experience for a family. We truly believe this and our goal is to help you through the 'rough spots'. It will require effort on the part of the dog owner, but they don't call dogs man's best friend for nothing!!
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