5 Surefire Ways to Show Your Dog You抮e The Boss

Do you have problems at your house with who抯 in charge? By that I mean, does your dog think he抯 the boss? In your effort to form a stronger bond with your dog you may have inadvertently told him he抯 the Leader of the Pack. Here are 5 simple and effective ways to correct that.

You Must Be The Alpha Dog
First, let抯 take a look at what a 損ack mentality?means. Dogs are born into packs ?in the wild, packs are the essential social order. Unlike humans, who use a variety of political processes to determine leadership and rank, dogs sort out their social order by dominance and power. In a wolf pack, there is a Top Dog ?a clear leader who is the dominant, Alpha male. He抯 the Big Dog, with pride of place at the dinner table (well, if wolves had a dinner table!), first in mating, first in decision making for the pack.
Whether you realize it or not, your dog views your household as his own personal wolf pack. The pack mentality is so engrained in your dog抯 psyche that he will either view you as a leader - or a follower - depending on your actions. If you are to have a well-trained dog, you must establish that you are the leader, and he is the follower. Your dog has to know in his heart that you are the Alpha Dog, the Head Honcho, the Big Dog, the Top Dog ?call it whatever you want, but your dog needs to know you抮e in charge.
Dogs are a little like children in one respect ?they抮e looking for someone else to be the leader ?they want rules and regulations because that makes their role in the pack more clear-cut and understandable. It抯 scary being the leader ?if you抮e not up to it, your dog may assume the role ?because someone has to be in charge!
If that抯 what抯 happened at your house, you need to re-establish your position as the Top Dog, or 揕eader of the Pack.?But here抯 an important note: being the leader of the pack has absolutely nothing to do with harsh punishment. It has everything to do with consistency and setting limits.
A simple rule to remember (and one people have great difficulty keeping in mind) is that you are the leader, not your dog.

1. You Go Through The Door First
Even something as straightforward as who walks through the door first can reinforce your position as 揹ominant dog.?Leaders lead. Followers follow. If you allow your dog to charge through the door ahead of you, he perceives that as asserting his dominance over you. Put your dog on the leash, and make sure you抮e the first one through the door.

2. You Eat Before Your Dog
Who gets fed first in your house ?you or your dog? In a wolf pack, the leader eats first, and when he is done, the rest of the pack can dine. Do you feed your dog first because he pesters you when you抮e cooking your dinner, and it抯 simply more convenient to have him quiet and out of the way when you抮e eating?
Food is a powerful motivator that can be used to clearly demonstrate who is the ruler of the roost at your house. In no way, shape or form am I suggesting that you withhold food from your dog ?that抯 cruel and unusual punishment any way you look at it. What I am suggesting is that you control the timing of the food ?you should eat first, your dog second, after you抮e done with your meal.

3. Don抰 Walk Around Your Dog
Does your dog lie on the floor and expect you to walk around him? In the wild, dominant dogs lie wherever they want, and dogs lower in the social order go around so they don抰 disturb the Big Dog. If you walk around your dog, he will assume this to be an act of submission on your part; therefore he must be the leader, not you.
If your dog is lying in the middle of the hallway, or right in front of your easy chair, make him move. If he抯 on the couch and you want to lie down, make him move. Don抰 step over him. Just gently nudge him and make him get out of your way. You抮e the Big Dog, remember?

4. You Determine When Your Dog Gets Attention
Even asking for attention or affection can be seen as an act of dominance from your dog抯 point of view. Dogs that demand attention are asserting dominance, so if your dog gets pushy, ignore him. When you抮e ready to give him attention or affection or pet or play with him, ask him to sit first.
Don抰 run after him just so you can pet him. Make him come to you when you抮e ready to give him attention, or play with him. And when you play with a toy, make sure that you end up with possession of the toy, and then put the toy away when you抮e done. (Note: I抦 not talking about his favorite toys that you leave in his crate. I抦 talking about play toys that the two of you use for games.)

5. Don抰 Let Your Dog Sleep In Your Bed
This is a tough one for a lot of people, but when you let your dog share your bed, at best you抮e making him an equal to you. He should have his own bed, either a dog pad or his crate that he feels comfortable in ?you can even put the dog pad next to your bed if that makes both of you happier ?but don抰 let him take over the sleeping arrangements. Before you know it, he抣l be trying to make you sleep on the floor!
Again, reinforcing or retraining your dog to recognize you as the Head Honcho has absolutely nothing to do with harsh discipline. These are changes you can make that will change the way your dog thinks about you. And making even small changes like these can have an enormous impact on the way your dog views the social hierarchy in your home ?all without a harsh word being spoken!