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Be the leader, the experts will tell you. You need to be the boss! Your dog is walking all over you! Everyone says that you need to be your dog’s boss, but few of them will tell you how to do that properly. You can get anything from vague, completely useless hints, to downright dangerous advice that includes the infamous “alpha roll”.

Violence, in the dog world, means a challenge. Unless you want to constantly have to physically challenge your dog, which may result in a decent amount of blood loss when he gets tired of it, you need to find more natural, humane ways to show your strong leadership. A pack leader doesn’t beat up his subordinates. He controls their very lives in subtle, but powerful ways.

1. The boss controls the food. For most dogs, making sure that the family always eats first is sufficient. No free-feeding the dog! That means you don’t leave food down all day for the dog to eat at his leisure. You eat, then you prepare your dog’s food, have him sit, place the food down, and make him wait for an okay to eat.For more stubborn dogs, hand-feeding for a week to a month helps drive home the point that you control the food. Every bite he gets comes from you, at your desire. You portion his food in his bowl, hold the bowl, then feed him a few kibbles at a time from your hand; each time he must sit and look to you, waiting patiently. If he gets obnoxious, the food gets put away for awhile and you can try again later. He must show respect to get fed.
2. The boss controls the toys and playtime. When it is time to hunt, the leader signals it. When it is time to play, the leader signals it. You can mimic this with your dog by never allowing him to initiate play or choose his own toys. If he wants to play and nudges you or barks at you, you first ask him for something. If you want to play, ask for a sit or a down. Any command that he must comply with. Then you decide what to play and for how long. If you don’t want to play, you tell him no. If he doesn’t comply, he can go to his crate for a few minutes to calm down.
3. The boss controls the walk. Rule #1 – NO FLEXIS. Your dog should be walking at your side or behind you, not out 15 feet in front of you. You have ZERO control over your dog when he’s at the end of a 15 foot line. The way you walk your dog tells him who is boss. If he’s allowed to do whatever he wants, rush ahead, sniff all over, jump on people, and be obnoxious, that boss is not you. He’s doing his own thing, not paying attention to his leader. If you have trouble controlling the walk, get a better training collar. An actual trainer couldn’t hurt, either.
4. The boss controls the space, including the best places to rest. Do you step over your dog when he’s laying in the doorway? Do you let him on your bed before you get in it? He’s the boss.The leader is the one who controls the space. When you walk, if your dog is in the way, make him MOVE. If he’s sleeping, he can sleep somewhere besides the doorway to the kitchen. If he’s blocking your progress, you just nudge him away. Blocking you is one way of controlling you. You should be controlling him.The bed is a lovely place to sleep, a fact not lost on our dogs. Some people advocate never letting your dog sleep on your bed. Others allow the dog there as long as the humans were there first and gave explicit permission to the dog to join them. I think it depends on the dog and the level of dominance issues you’re having. Either way, it’s YOUR bed, and that needs to be clear to your dog.
5. The boss protects the pack. If you want protection, buy a home alarm or a professionally trained protection dog. A family dog is not a weapon. Family dogs should not be expected to protect the pack with no direction. The leader makes the decision as to who is and is not allowed in the home, and what to do about it. If you allow your dog to bark at everyone or even expect him to, don’t be surprised if he thinks of himself as the boss. A warning bark is just that – one or two series of barks to signal the intruder that you have not yet seen. If he doesn’t stop at your acknowledgement, or barks at someone you have seen and acknowledged already, he doesn’t see you as the leader. Aggression issues always benefit from a live, in-person professional trainer. A defensive barker often reforms once they are relieved of their leadership “duties” and trust in their owners to protect and lead them with confidence.

What if your dog is out of control already, you ask? Perhaps he simply will not listen at all for any of these exercises and you’re at your wit’s end. The easiest way to incorporate these changes into your life with a very dominant dog, or a newer puppy who is just confused, is a technique called “tethering”. You can’t control your dog when he can run away, jump, chase, or generally be a complete putz. If you can’t get your dog off the bed, or make him wait for his food, or stop him from butting you and jumping, you need to keep him on his leash all the time for awhile to assure that you have control.

Tethering simply means that your dog is always either in his crate or attached to you. 24/7. Sometimes only for a week, sometimes longer, depending on the dog. For puppies, it is the most valuable tool you will have in your arsenal for housebreaking, preventing destructive chewing, promoting good habits, and raising a properly socialized, socially submissive dog. For adults, it will remind them of their social status, command their attention, and allow you the control to correct them or direct them as needed without allowing them to engage in the chase-me or make-me game. No need to yell or repeat commands uselessly or bribe with food. Calm, controlled leaders are trusted leaders.

Happy training!