During dog training, become the Alpha leader with these 5 methods
Want to know how to make your dog obey your commands when you are training him? One simple procedure is to make it known to your dog that you are the leader, the alpha of the pack and that he is the follower. Once your dog learns that you are the leader, he will obey your commands much faster and your training sessions will go more smoothly.
You see, dogs are pack animals and live with a hierarchy set of rules where there is only one leader and the rest are followers. The leaders do whatever they want to do and they get the best of everything from toys to food. The leaders also make all the decisions and the followers only do whatever the leader will allow them to do. So, by establishing yourself as the leader, your dog will follow and obey your commands. There are 5 simple methods you can begin carrying out today to teach your dog his position in your family pack.
One way to show your dog that you are in charge is during feeding time. In the alpha pack, the leader dog always eats first and gets the best portions. Only after he is done eating, can the others eat. So, if you feed your dog before you eat, you are showing him that he is the leader over you. What you need to do is prepare your meals and eat first, even if it is a small snack. Then get ready to feed your dog by placing his food in his bowl and swishing it around with your hands. This distributes your smell all over the food which reinforces that you are in charge. Then before you place his food bowl down for your dog to eat, you need to make him sit first. The goal is to make him obey your commands or wants and avoid giving your dog what he wants. This seems like a simple step, but believe me it can work wonders.
Another way to show your dog who is boss is to simply ignore him when you come home. I know this sounds mean and that you just want to show your beloved dog how much you missed him, but your dog does not see it that way. You see, in a pack, when someone comes in, the leader is always greeted first and with much praise. So, when you come home and you immediately show your dog affection, you are basically telling him that he is the leader of your family pack. When you come home, ignore the dog and greet the other people in your household first. Then when your dog is calm, call him over to you and shower him with affection and love. This simple change will let your dog know that he is not the alpha of the pack.
Another technique in your training your dog that you are the leader is to make all the decisions for him. In a dog pack, the leader makes all the decisions for the rest of the team and the rest of the team just follows what the leader says. So, if you are letting your dog tell you what he wants to do, like when to play or when he needs love, then he will see that you are the follower and that he is the leader. So try and make all the decisions for your dog. If he wants to play, ignore him until he gives up, then go pickup his toy and ask him if he wants to play. If he wants some pets and rubs your hand with his head, simply move your hand and wait until he gives up, then call him over and lather him with love and pets. I know from personal experience that this is the hardest one to implement, but when done, you dog will soon start seeing you as the leader.
Bedtime is another time that a dog will show his leadership in the pack. In dog packs, the leader always sleeps higher than the rest of the pack. Your dog needs to have his own bed and it needs to be on the floor and not on your bed. The leader always sleeps higher that the rest, so you need to be sleeping higher than your dog. You can buy him a nice and comfy bed for him to sleep on, but just don’t let him sleep with you. You can still call him up upon the bed and snuggle with him, but just make sure when it is time to go sleep that he goes to his own bed.
The last way you can demonstrate to your dog that you are the alpha leader is by grooming him and rubbing his belly. In the dog world, lying down displays submission to an authority leader and a pack leader will never show submission to those under him. This is what will make these sessions so great. It’s a fun and relaxing way for both you and your pet and it also proves to your dog that you are the leader and he is subordinate to you. All you have to do is make your dog lay down on his side and then brush him and rub his belly. This may be hard to do at first since your dog is not used to doing this, but as you continue to it, it will become easier and he will even begin to look forward to his grooming sessions.
A pack leader can do anything and they can also make their followers do anything without any complaints. Once you put these five tips into practice, your dog will soon learn that he is the follower and you are the alpha leader. He will then be more willing to listen to you and learn what you are trying to teach him.
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