THE
ALPHA FACTOR
Who's the boss around here, anyway?
INTRODUCTION
Regardless of your reason
for acquiring a puppy, you'll have to win it over. You, not
your dog, will have to be the leader of the pack if your pup
is to develop into a well-mannered family member instead of
a burden. Dominance and alpha behavior are important concepts
that every dog owner should comprehend.
Dogs are animals, not
human beings. They are pack animals by nature. Every pack
has a leader, known as the alpha animal, who dominates and
leads the other members of the pack. The alpha is the boss
who makes decisions for the entire pack. Usually the pack
will have an alpha male and an alpha female. All the other
members of the pack form a hierarchy of dominance and submission
where everyone has a place.
In your home, you and
your family become your dog’s pack, as do any other
dogs you may have. It is your responsibility to establish
yourself in the alpha position. If you fail to do this, your
dog will do it as a natural behavior. Many people assume that
they are automatically in charge just because humans are superior
to animals. But are you really the pack leader? Does your
dog know it?
Being the pack leader
does not mean you have to be big and aggressive. Nor does
it mean that there has to be a battle of wills after which
you are the victor. Anyone can be the pack leader. It is an
attitude an air of authority. It is the basis for mutual respect,
and provides the building blocks of communication between
the two of you.
A pack animal becomes
a full fledged member of the group by a process called subordination.
With dogs, subordination begins shortly after the third week
of life and continues throughout early development. Most normal,
healthy puppies are basically pushy animals, and will try
to advance as far as possible within the social order of the
pack. The key to successfully rearing a puppy is to establish
yourself as the pack leader and then maintain that position
for the life of your dog.
So how do you become
the alpha leader? In the wild, the adults of the pack begin
early to teach the cubs the rules. The adults grab pups around
the head or neck and gently, but firmly, pin them to the ground.
The cubs learn to greet the adults with respect by approaching
them using a slightly crouching posture, with ears back, tail
down and wagging, and they lick the adults' muzzles. The cubs
do this as a sign of respect and affection, not out of fear.
It is called the subordination display, and its function is
to keep peace and harmony within the pack.
ALPHA EXERCISES
Leadership exercises
can confirm humans as the heads of the family pack. Once you
establish this relationship, your dog will seek you out. He
will want to be with you and will treat you with respect and
affection. After he learns to submit to handling, all other
tasks such as grooming, nail clipping, cleaning ears, and
medicating will be easier to accomplish. But first he must
learn that you have the power to handle him, and that handling
will not lead to any harm. He must come to trust you entirely.
These exercises will
help establish leadership but should not be used with an older
pup who has learned to use his teeth to get his way. Exercises
one and two are recommended only for small puppies up to three
months of age. Exercises three and four are suitable for pups
up to six months of age as long as there's no problem with
aggression. Be gentle but firm with all exercises, as you
would with a baby human.
1. Sit on the floor,
then pick your pup up off the floor with both hands supporting
him just behind his front legs, facing you. Hold him away
from you at arms length. Look directly into his eyes. Growl
at him if he struggles, using a low guttural sound. Hold
him till he relaxes. Vary the time you hold him in this
position from 15 to 45 seconds. Vary the location.
2. Sit on the floor
and cradle your pup, placing one hand under his head and
the other supporting his back so that he is upside down
on his back, and up in the air. Hold a larger puppy across
your lap. Hold the pup for 15 to 45 seconds, using the same
growl as in exercise 1 if he struggles. Hold him until he
relaxes.
3. If your puppy is
large, substitute this exercise for the first two. Straddle
your pup, with one of your legs on each side of him. You
should be facing the same direction as your dog. Lock your
fingers together under his chest, just behind the front
legs. Lift his front legs off the ground for 15 to 45 seconds.
If he struggles, growl at him till he is quiet.
4. Place your dog
on the floor with all four legs pointing away from you.
Hold him firmly by the neck with one hand, and press down
on his midsection with the other hand. Talk to him softly
after he is quiet. It might take two or three minutes to
get him to relax. If he exposes his belly to be rubbed,
you are on the right track. Do not allow him to struggle,
get up, or nip. Always praise him lavishly in a quiet tone
when he relaxes. Now is also a good time to handle all four
paws and look briefly into his mouth so he can get used
to tolerating your handling him gently. Be sure to do this
exercise four or five times a day at first. Taper off as
the pup gets more used to you and accepts your leadership.
THE STARE
Eye contact is also
one of the ways order is kept in a wolf pack. Only an alpha
animal may use the stare to remind everyone who is in charge.
When you initiate eye contact, you express your alpha position.
Encourage your pup to maintain eye contact for several seconds,
making it a pleasant experience. Do not force him to do so.
Use the term "watch me" and always praise him the
instant you have eye contact. However, you do not want to
try to do this with a dog who thinks he is already in charge
of things. The dog must know you are the leader first. Otherwise
you will begin a stare-down contest. An alpha dog will not
be willing to be first to avert his eyes. If you are the first
to avert or even blink your eyes, it will help confirm the
dog’s alpha status.
ALPHA DISCIPLINE:
PACK LEADER ACTIVITIES
There are many pack
leader activities you can use as part of a daily training
routine. Probably the single most important command your dog
can learn is "sit." You can incorporate "sit"
into everyday situations as a reminder that you are in charge
of things. Tell your dog to "sit" before you feed
him, before you play, before he goes out the door. This shows
the dog that he must respond to you before indulging in his
own pleasures. If he is obedience trained, put him in a down-stay
while you prepare his dinner.
Your dog will accept
you as pack leader as long as you are consistent and fair
in your demands. You must never permit him to growl or snap.
If he does, a severe scruff shake is necessary, followed by
no attention from you for 10 to 15 minutes. The scruff is
the loose skin around the dog’s neck. If your pet growls
or snaps and you are not afraid to handle him, grab him firmly
by the scruff with both hands, stare him in the eyes, and
shake him. Then put him in his crate for 15-20 minutes and
ignore him.
If your dog growls or
snaps and you are afraid to discipline him, seek professional
help. Don't ignore the incident; a dog allowed to threaten
his family can easily become a biter.
Never overlook any challenge
to your authority. Most dogs will test their owners, usually
in adolescence. When the issue is settled immediately, it
usually ends the matter.
There are several books
that will help owners establish leadership to assure a long,
healthy relationship with a pet. There are also several training
clubs and businesses in the area for those who prefer an instructor's
assistance and for those who need help with problem dogs.
BOOKS
- Positively Obedient, by Barbara
Handler. Alpine Publications, 1987. ISBN 0-931866286.
- SuperPuppy , by Peter J. Vollmer.
SuperPuppy Press, 1992. ISBN 1-886056-01-3.
- SuperDog, by Michael W. Fox. Howell
Book House, 866 3rd Ave., New York NY 10022. 1990. ISBN
0876057415.
- The Chosen Puppy, by Carol Lea Benjamin.
Howell Book House, 866 3rd Ave., New York NY 10022. 1990.
ISBN 087064173.
- Second Hand Dog, by Carol Lea Benjamin.
Howell Book House, 866 3rd Ave., New York NY 10022. 1988.
ISBN 0876057350.
- What All Good Dogs Should Know, by
Jack Volhard & Melissa Bartlett. Howell Book House,
866 3rd Ave., New York NY 10022. 1991. ISBN 0876058322.
- How To Raise A Puppy You Can Live
With, by C. Rutherford & D. Neil. Alpine Books, Loveland
CO 80537. 1992. ISBN 093186657X.
- The Art of Raising a Puppy, by The
Monks of New Skete. Little, Brown & Co, Canada. 1991.
ISBN 0316578398.
By: Barbara Jansen
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