Pack Leader

All dog owners are pack members. Some are littermates, some are subservient members, and some are pack leaders. The leader does not have to be the most aggressive or largest but must be mentally and emotionally strong. Pack leaders rule by making decisions and having a strong character. You do not have to become a bully to be a pack leader.

Being a leader has a lot of perks such as having control over your dogs behavior, eliminating over-protectiveness, reducing inter-dog aggession, and many other unacceptable behaviors. Your dog likes for you to be the leader because that huge responsibility is removed from his shoulders.

The pack leader makes the decisions. The leader uses eye contact and body language to communicate his decisions to other members of the pack. The rest of the pack focuses on the leader and the leader rarely looks at them. The leader doesn't have to look, he knows he is leader and everyone will follow him.

When greeting other dogs, the pack leader will look at the other dogs. The submissive one will lick under the chin while the dominant one will groom the neck and back agressively. The dominant dog will dismiss the other dog by breaking eye contact and turning away. This ritualistic physical contact defuses tension and builds trust and security within the pack.

One concept that is hard for humans to grasp is that the hierarchy is not linear. There are actually many hierarchies within the pack. There is the male hierarchy, the female hierarchy, and several different hierarchies based upon what activities are being persued. There can even be circular hierarchies, where Dog A is dominant over Dog B, Dog B is dominant over Dog C, and Dog C is dominant over Dog A. Some hierarchies change back and forth, such as the female hierarchy will normally have a spayed female leader except when a whole female is in heat.

The pack leader sleeps where he wants to, eats what and where he wants, grooms who he likes and does what ever he wants to do . The pack leader owns things, like bones, which he may or may not allow others to play with.

Grabbing the Top Dog Position

Eating

The pack leader eats first. Sometimes this is not practical, therefore, pretend you are eating from the dogs bowl before giving it to him. Pack leaders make all the decisions, so vary when and where you feed your dog. This puts the dominant dog off guard and forces him to look to you for guidance. You should be able to take your dogs food or bone from your dog at any time without any sign of aggression. This may take practice, it is best to start when they are pups. Some dogs eat better if they work for their food, if this is the case, it is the perfect time for a short training session with the food as the reward.

Eye Contact

To gain additional influence over your dog, avoid looking at him. If you don't approve of a behavior, ignore it. Eye contact is viewed as either a challenge or a reward. Eye contact should be used when your dog is good. This will gain your dogs respect as the rightful leader.

Sleeping

Your bed is the pack leader's bed and should be reserved for the pack leader only. You should not allow your dog to sleep on your bed or to get on your furniture. Note that height indicates strength within the pack. Your dog's bed should be available to you at all times. You should be able to approach your dogs bed, sleep in it, or take it without any sign of aggression.

Leading

Dominant dogs run out the door first when it is opened. This is unsafe if children or older adults are involved. The easiest way to prevent this is to be unpredictable, switch directions, walk in circles, then enter when your dog is not looking. You could also make your dog sit before going through the door, then call him and reward.

Grooming

Grooming is a dominate activity that relaxes your dog. When you start to groom your dog, there may be sensitive areas that your dog doesn't want you to touch. The best way to deal with this situation is to gradually approach the area over many days rather than have negative emotions affect your dog. You should inspect feet, eyes, teeth, ears, anus, sex organs, and coat on a regular basis to know what is normal and spot any abnormalities. Bathing, brushing, inspection, and touching should be normal for your dog and done calmly and without assertiveness.

Playing

Playing with your dog should be done on your terms, not your dogs. Play should be without excessive roughness, without frustration, and without over-excitement. Be aware that your dog may attempt to manipulate you by dropping the ball when he brings it back so you have to step forward to pick it up, or anticipating where you will throw it. Unpredictability will give you back the leadership role. Toys belong to the owner, not the dog, and shoudl be kept out of reach except when it is playtime. The owner makes the rules and may change them at any time to fit the circumstances. You should always determine when play starts and ends. Games should be fun and stimulating intellectually.

Greeting your Dog

When greeting your dog, it is important to take the leadership role. Assertive calm massage-like petting and hugs are important. When first meeting your dog, keep a hand low so he can sniff and lick just like he would the pack leaders head This keeps him from jumping on you. Do not allow jumping at this point, walk into the jump to eliminate jumping. You decide when you've had enough and make sure it is before your dog is bored. Dismiss him by breaking eye contact and turning away.

Two Dogs or More

Most dog owners who own more than one dog already knwo who the most dominant dog is. He is the one that comes between you and the other dogs when you are petting them. You can also see that the most dominant is the first to eat, the first out the door, and the one that shows dominance in other activities. As pack leader, you do not have to sort out the lower rankings, let the dogs do this themselves. Treat them equally. Try to spend time with each dog separately as opposed to petting them all at the same time. You will probably have to give the more dominant dog more privileges as part of the peace keeping efforts.