Dogs are pack animals; as such they need a leader to follow. Someone they can trust and respect, knowing the leader will keep them safe, provide and care for them. Are you such a leader to your dog?
Dog owners, particularly those with large and dangerous dogs, often think they have to be tough, loud, violent and harsh. That is wrong – as pack animals, dogs need and respect a strong leader and not someone who bullies and mistreats them. They don’t follow weak or violent leaders; in fact, such people usually have a problematic relationship with their dog.
So how do you become a leader your dog will respect and follow? You need to be calm and consistent and build a relationship based on mutual respect.
When you watch a puppy with its mother, you’ll see that she only tolerates so much boisterous and demanding behavior from the little one. She sets the boundaries and when the puppy gets too unruly by tugging, nipping or simply making a nuisance of itself, mom lets it know with a growl or a snap. No matter how cute the little fellow is, he learns what acceptable behavior is and what will not be tolerated.
As dog owners, our problem is often that because of their baby doggie adorableness, we indulge puppies. We allow them almost anything – to their own detriment. People may even use their relationship with the dog to satisfy emotional needs.
Then we want to ‘put things right’ when the older dog keeps jumping on us and insists sleeping on the couch. When the dog suddenly isn’t allowed to do what he’s been doing his whole life, we get a confused, frustrated animal.
Your dog must respect you; not fear or dominate you. To get to a balanced relationship of mutual respect, you as the owner must keep a few things in mind.
- Remember you’re dealing with an animal – dogs are not human. They want and need to be dogs; they simply don’t know how to behave if we treat them as humans.
- Be consistent, inconsistency confuses a dog. And follow through so that your dog knows you mean what you say. Obedience must be followed by praise and/or a treat. The dog needs boundaries, just like humans.
- Dogs read your body language, so it’ll know if you’re angry, frustrated or feel guilty. They are very good at this, so the dog is much more likely to obey your command if you expect it to.
- Dogs love attention but don’t pamper to your dog’s needs. If it demands attention, just ignore it – it’ll get the message. You need to be in control of the attention the dog gets.
- And when the dog gets over excited when you are going for a walk or when you arrive at home? Again it needs to be taught that calming down will bring its own reward. The dog will realize that excited behavior is ignored – and that calming down means going for a walk, getting a treat. And when you take the dog for a walk, remember the dog is not taking YOU for a walk!
Be consistent and patient – you are dealing with an animal. By being the pack leader, you fulfill the dog’s needs. And you’ll have a happy, obedient dog you can be proud of. That in itself should be enough to fulfill your emotional needs.