I get asked from time to time "How do I become the leader of the pack?" So here are my answers.
There are some trainers and 'behaviourists' who tell you that you must be "The Leader of the Pack". They suggest you behave like a dog to give your dog the message that you are 'top dog'. This can include eating before your dog is fed, going through doors first, ignoring your dog when you arrive home, or at the most extreme "alpha rolling" your dog (pinning your dog down until he submits - at best is frightening for your dog, at worst it can be dowright dangerous for you!). All of these people assume that dogs see humans as the same as dogs and expect us to behave like them in order for them to have respect for us.
More and more modern trainers and behaviourists are now questioning this view. I know that my dogs do not think I am a dog, they do not sniff my bottom every time they see me (thank goodness!), they do not try to play with me by biting my head, they let me do things they would never let another dog do such as take away food they are eating. This does not mean however that we should not aim to become good leaders of our dogs. In fact it is essential that we are good leaders for our dogs to become good social pets.
So what makes a good leader?
First think about it in human terms. What makes a good leader or manager in work or in a team?
Consistency, fairness, clear instruction, relevant feedback, praise where it is due, good decision making, calm in a crisis, allowing learning and development.
What makes a bad leader? _ there are two extremes of bad leaders - those who do not provide any leadership and allow others to ride roughshod all over them - I will call them the 'door mats'. there are those at the other extremes who use force, fear, aggression and pain to dominate others - I will call them the 'dictators'.
You need to decide which kind of leader you want to be.
If you want to be a 'dictator' you must ensure your dog understand that every time he or she does anything wrong that they will be severely punished. You do this by hitting, smacking, pinching or otherwise abusing your dog. They will soon learn to crawl around you in total submission, fearful of putting a step wrong. They will not be happy dogs, always on the lookout for where the next thump is coming from but they'll be good dogs right? Get this wrong however and you will have a dog who is every bit as violent and aggressive as you are.
If you want to be a 'door mat' you will need to let your dog pull you around every where, getting everything it wqants when it wants it, get onto any furniture he or she wants and not have to get off, to be rude with strangers and friends by climbing all over them and generally being a spoilt brat. As often happens with spoilt brats, your dog will have a tantrum if they do not get their own way. If you are lucky they will just be unpopular visitors to other peoples home and will generally get in the way. If you are unlucky you may have a dog who will react aggressively to being asked to do something. They may also go as far as weeing in your bed!
So how do you be a good leader?
It is not easy but it is worth it in the long run.
- Firstly start as soon as you can, preferably when you first get your dog, either as a puppy or as a rescue dog.
- Have a 'committee meeting' - all the members of the family should agree what the dog should be allowed or not allowed to do. It is important for puppy owners to decide what they will allow their adult dog to do right at the beginning so that the rules don't suddenly change at a later date.All family members need to agree to stick to these rules. Puppies and dogs can not be expected to understand that different people have different rules.
- Enforce the rules by showing them what you want them to do, not by punishing your dog or by telling him or her not to do something. it is much easier for dogs to learn if they are rewarded for getting something right, they know what to repeat. If they are punished they may stop the behaviour you don't want, but they do not have something else to replace it with and so will choose their own alternative which may cause as many problems as the original behaviour. Telling your dog not to do something and expecting him or her to understand is asking a lot of your dog. Imagine saying to your dog "don't sit". They are likely to sit as they have learned that "sit" means sit. They do not have the language capacity however to understand what "don't" means. A better way is to train your dog to "stand"or "down" instead. This can be applied to everything you want your dog to do or to stop doing.
- Enforce the rules consistently. If you don't want your dog on the sofa, never let him or her on the sofa and no-one else should do either.
- There should be consequences for unacceptable behaviour but they do not need to be violent or frightening or painful. Consequences for unacceptable behaviour should be removal of reward, so unacceptable behaviour towards people such as jumping up should result in removing the reward of social contact, either by simply moving out of reach of the dog and ignoring it, or by leaving the room.
- A dog does not have the same reasoning ability as a child, you cannot explain to them that the reason they are getting beaten now is because they stole some cakes from the table. In fact if you do not catch your dog in the act there is very little you can do at all as they will not understand as they do not connect two events which are not consecutive in time. If you punish your dog when you get home to find a mess in the hallway all they will learn is that it is frightening when you come home. If this happens often enough they may connect it with there being a mess on the floor and 'look guilty' but they do not connect it with them having done the act of peeing on the floor an hour earlier. By rewarding them for good behaviour they will strive to earn the rewards and do the behaviour you want.
- Teach your dog manners, whilst it may not be necessary to act like a dominant dog by going through the door first it is a good idea to try this on both manners and safety grounds. Dogs should be taught take food gently and to leave things they should not have when you ask them to. A good positive dog trainer will be able to help you train your dog to do these things or there are a number of good books on the market, see the list of recommended books.
- Make good decisions for your dog. Do not put your dog into situations where they are forced to make decisions. If your dog is not happy with large numbers of people do not force them into that situation. They need to trust that you will keep them safe.
- Above all do everything calmly and in control and your dog will look to you as a role model.
