Alpha Dog

[Ness2289]

I've been reading some about how dogs are pack animals etc. and how you must treat them in order for them to understand that you are the alpha dog in the home. When I read these articles, they tend to steer away from how I raised my late cocker. I know that I was in control, but I didn't have to do some of the things I've read about to gain her respect. Is anyone knowledgable about this? My DD and I are four months away from our new puppy, and I'm doing a lot of reading. (Maybe too much!) What is your opinion about "putting a dog in it's place" and "maintaining the ALPHA position?"

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I think it depends on many factors, not the least of which is the type of dog you have and it's personality, as well as the personalities of the people in your home and your living situation. The key to having a wonderful relationship with your dog is developing a "language" between the two of you that you both understand. Training makes this possible (and basically makes you the alpha in your dog's eyes if you're consistent).

You'll get a lot of opinions on this. If you're soon getting a puppy I'd like to suggest you pick up a book called Good Owners, Great Dogs by Brian Kilcommons. It is a wonderful book. If you want to delve deeper into the subject matter I suggest the book The Art of Raising A Puppy by The Monks of New Skete. Good luck.

 

[TishaB]

With some breeds you do not have to make a point of being alpha. I have a retired (too slow) greyhound and he has always recognized me as being alpha...no one else. (I only have to tell him once to get off the couch while other members of the family have to make him move....also he has never stolen my food...dd's is fair game to him though) We at one time were fortunate enough to share our home with an irish wolfhound...she was supposed to be dh's dog....but she would also only really listen to me. If you only have one dog I wouldn't worry too much about maintaining alpha status. Have fun with your new addition to the family.

 

[Karel]

I totally see the alpha and pack mentality when it comes to our Westie. He has no respect for our youngest child but knows that my husband and I are in charge.

I don't know how it happens.

A lot of eye contact, tone of voice...'I am in charge of feeding you and taking care of you' kind of stuff.

I read somewhere about making eye contact and making him look away. Being strict/stern when the situation warrants it and then lots of praise and happy voice when something positive occurs.

 

[hiwaygal]

I agree with Pea-n-Me!

Much of the "alpha work" you may or may not have to do will depend alot on your dogs temperament and breeding (to some extent).

Starting early with obedience training, regular grooming (brushing, clipping nails, brushing teeth), developmental type games, even "massage" will help establish a bond with your dog that will do wonders for your position as alpha in your pack.

Here are a couple of my favorite links to training and general information:

Dog Care Tips from Pup Life

Healthypet Dog Care Articles

Congratulations on your decision to add a dog to your family!! And good luck!!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

In my situation we rescued 2 mixed breeds at 4 months, male & female.

The male wanted to be an alpha due to his huge insecurity issues he has. I thought I was doing the right things but I had to step it up a notch.
I was corrected by the people that I adopted him from.

The thing about Butters, is that he wants you to be in control. He is insecure and is not able to handle any sort of leader position.

Right now we are working on the backyard. On leash, in our house, etc..he knows we are boss but when he is in "his backyard" he feels it is his. When I step outside it is mine. Work in progress always with him.

As far as the kids we made sure that they are above the dog. A great tip from Cesar Milan we use, was setting house boundaries.
The dogs are not allowed upstairs (unless invited, which is rare!). This boundary has been the biggest help with putting the dogs in their place, so to speak.

I highly recommend using boundaries and having the dogs earn their space. I don't know if my dogs will get free reign upstairs due to our allergies but right now those 2 would just get into trouble because they are only 1 1/2yrs old...the stinkers.

 

[mrsv98]

Some things I have read and that work for us are:

Take the food bowl away in the middle of a meal and correct the dog if he objects. Don't keep it for more than a minute just long enough to show who controls the chow.

Don't walk around your dog, make him get out of the way. I have to remind myself of this as I am doing gymnastics so as to not disturb their majesties

Train the dog to wait for an ok before going through doors and/or gates. You always get to go first.

Really, if you start with puppy class and then go to obedience class, the alpha part will come naturally. The hardest part is usually getting the dog to recognize kids as higher in the pack order as they are often also playmates. I let DD "train" the girls and dole out treats and that tends to help. Remember, she who controls the food, commands the world!

 

[FreshTressa]

We did the alpha stuff with our dog. Especially with the kids. I wanted him to know that the kids were his boss. It is much safer that way.

Our dog is very into 'pack' behaviors and it has really helped.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Take the food bowl away in the middle of a meal and correct the dog if he objects. Don't keep it for more than a minute just long enough to show who controls the chow.

I wouldn't advocate this for several reasons. Just being the one to dole out the food puts you in control in the dog's eyes. But messing with him when he's eating is asking for trouble and could be downright hazardous. Work on training away from the food bowl and let the dog eat in peace. JMO.

 

[beckmrk04]

Basic obedience classes have been wonderful for my dog. ANd I was fortunate enough to be at home with her full-time, so we practiced A LOT.

I think the best thing that my dog (and I) learned was a release command. She waits to go through the door until I say ok. She has to sit to have her leash put on. She sits patiently while I'm delivering her food (and I can reach down and take it right back without fuss- this was very important since so many dogs have territory/food aggression, and I'm about to have a baby). If she's in a chair that I want to sit on- she has to get down.

I also do things to reinforce her "submission" and start to get her used to having a toddler around before long. I tug her ear and give her a treat, or tug her tail then give her a treat. That way, when my baby INEVITABLY pulls on SOMETHING, Jules will be used to that sort of thing.

My biggest problem, that I can't for the life of me seem to correct, is that she's a jumper. She KNOWS she's not supposed to, but it seems like she just gets so darned excited that she forgets sometimes.

 

[FreshTressa]

I wouldn't advocate this for several reasons. Just being the one to dole out the food puts you in control in the dog's eyes. But messing with him when he's eating is asking for trouble and could be downright hazardous. Work on training away from the food bowl and let the dog eat in peace. JMO.

I totally and respectfully disagree. I see where you are coming from, but I have a different opinion. When our dog was a pup, we would do this. Now, another dog or a kid can mess with his food and it is safe. You are right that it can be hazardous to mess with the food while they are eating and that is why it is important to do it when they are puppies. I could put my head down and eat my dog's food and he wouldn't do a thing. I also made him wait to eat and not eat while I was pouring.

When I was younger I was sitting on the floor near a dog's dish...not even realizing it was there and the doggy came up and bit my face. Now it was a poodle, so the scar is small, but if that dog were used to people being in his food, he would not have bit.

 

[beckmrk04]

I totally and respectfully disagree. I see where you are coming from, but I have a different opinion. When our dog was a pup, we would do this. Now, another dog or a kid can mess with his food and it is safe. You are right that it can be hazardous to mess with the food while they are eating and that is why it is important to do it when they are puppies. I could put my head down and eat my dog's food and he wouldn't do a thing. I also made him wait to eat and not eat while I was pouring.

When I was younger I was sitting on the floor near a dog's dish...not even realizing it was there and the doggy came up and bit my face. Now it was a poodle, so the scar is small, but if that dog were used to people being in his food, he would not have bit.

I totally agree!

This is what I was referring to in my post, about dogs having aggression issues with food.

I can literally reach into my dog's mouth and take something out (which is a GOOD thing, because sometimes she has things in there that she does not need to swallow). And when my baby starts crawling, she'll probably make it to the dog's food dish at some point (although I'll be watching her every nanosecond ) and I don't want my child to be bit simply because she's near the dog's food.

If you train your puppy from day one to accept people handling their food, then it is really a non-issue further down the road.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I totally and respectfully disagree. I see where you are coming from, but I have a different opinion. When our dog was a pup, we would do this. Now, another dog or a kid can mess with his food and it is safe. You are right that it can be hazardous to mess with the food while they are eating and that is why it is important to do it when they are puppies. I could put my head down and eat my dog's food and he wouldn't do a thing. I also made him wait to eat and not eat while I was pouring.

When I was younger I was sitting on the floor near a dog's dish...not even realizing it was there and the doggy came up and bit my face. Now it was a poodle, so the scar is small, but if that dog were used to people being in his food, he would not have bit.

I could also do it with any of my dogs. And I also have young children of my own and had two grown dogs here when they came home from the hospital. My approach was to teach the kids not to go near the dogs when they're eating even though I knew they were ok, because not every dog would be. And not every dog who's been accustomed to having people take his food is going to be reliable 100% of the time not to show food aggression. He might just be having a bad day on the one day he takes someone's face off. Or growls menacingly just once - then what do you do? Now he's just learned that he got his way by growling. That opens up a whole can of worms when it comes to dog aggression. Why even go there? In the eyes of a dog, food is of extremely high value and may be seen as worth fighting for.

Dogs aren't always predictable. I maintain that even the nicest dog can bite given the right circumstances. I understand the thought processes behind the method, I just don't think it's a wise one. Remember, not all dogs are brought to homes as puppies. And not every dog has a great temperament. Some dogs may have been food deprived before they came to the home. Dogs have been known to act off character for all kinds of reasons which we may never fully understand. But if the dog bites, he loses, period. I'd rather avoid that situation if I could. As I said, JMO.

 

[Hercules10]

Step 1 - Beat the ka-ka out of the dog as soon as you get it! JUST KIDDING

Seriously though depending on the breed a lot of rough play may be needed to establish dominance. This is how's it's done in nature.

As puppies even if they bit playfully I'd grab their lower jaw. They hate that. No more biting.

Play wrestling with them I'd always make sure to pin them with me on top.

And I think the best training is excercise! At LEAST a good hour to hour and half of vigorous play time in the AM and PM. A pooped pup is a good pup!

Good luck.

 

[hiwaygal]

Step 1 - Beat the ka-ka out of the dog as soon as you get it! JUST KIDDING

Seriously though depending on the breed a lot of rough play may be needed to establish dominance. This is how's it's done in nature.

As puppies even if they bit playfully I'd grab their lower jaw. They hate that. No more biting.

Play wrestling with them I'd always make sure to pin them with me on top.

And I think the best training is excercise! At LEAST a good hour to hour and half of vigorous play time in the AM and PM. A pooped pup is a good pup!
Good luck.

Truer words were never spoken (bold)

 

[Keli]

I agree with all the others that have said the necessity of establishing yourself and family as ranking higher than the dog depends on several variables, not the least of which is your dog's personality.
Some dogs don't require you to do anything at all, they just accept that you and every human in the home is their boss and go with it. Some dogs need just a little training and some dogs have to have intense training.
We tend to have goldens so we don't usually have a problem with submission because it seems like most goldens understand the hiarchy pretty quickly with adults but they will give you trouble with kids.
When dd was young we had to work with one of the goldens we had to let him know she was his boss too. We taught dd how to take control, what little habits to keep the dog from, and we also had her feed him.
It caused dd to be able to have fun with the dog and bond with him a lot more. No kid wants to be jerked around by a dog that outweighs them when out for a walk or not be able to command the dog to lay down if he trys to jump on them, or have the dog take some of their food.