Successful Dog Training Requires a Leader of the Pack

By Bob Long


Left to themselves dog will act like......dogs! In nature, dogs form packs and within a pack a leader will always appear and dominate the other members. The pack survives by hunting, eating prey or by scavenging. Members of the pack mark their territory with urine and feces. They can frequently talk with one another thru barking, growling and howling. While this behaviour is natural and totally satisfactory in natural habitats, when dogs come to live with people they need a specific amount of training to be civilized.

Living in a home with a human family, alone, or with other dogs, the instincts that come with pack behavior remain. In the case of domestic dogs, you and your family comprise the pack and the 1st rule in dog training is to make certain that a human is established as the leader. Each dog has its own unique character, but there are traits that are shared by breeds. More assertive and independent breeds will often try and control the owner to become the pack leader. This will result in an environment that is upsetting for the dog and its owner. You definitely don't need to become involved in a territory marking contest with your pet within the home. Because of this, people with less assertive temperments should avoid the more dominant breeds like the Chow Chows, Rottweilers and Terriers. Mild mannered folks should stick with mild mannered breeds like Golden Retrievers and Shetland Sheepdogs.

For any dog, prevention is always easier than a cure, so an additional key principle to successful dog training is to start early before bad habits are learned and established. First, there's the business of house training a new dog. This should begin as soon as the pup starts on solid food at around 6 weeks old. General training to accustom the young dog to behaving calmly and obediently when around other dogs and people should begin between 3 and 4 months.

Obedience classes are any excellent way for inexperienced owners to learn how to train their dog but regardless the majority of learning will still happen in the home and is between the dog and its owner. A less costly choice to classes is to just get an excellent dog training book and implement a regular coaching routine. Training is just as much about attitude as anything else and once the dog recognizes you as the leader, it'll learn eagerly and happily.

Dogs respond best to reward based coaching and physical discipline is never necessary and never beneficial. Patience and light persistence will almost always win the day.




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