Being a pack Leader
A dog that was once a child's best trusted buddy and playmate suddenly starts to growl at the child whenever the child comes for a hug. How could this happen? Has the dog turned on the once loved child? That is how it may appear to the human, but that is not how the dog sees it.
Lets look at this a bit closer...
There is a family with two adult dogs, three children and two parents. The older of the two dogs passes away. The second dog has suddenly lost its K-9 leader. The family gets a new puppy. The instincts of the adult dog tell him a new order in the pack needs to be established.
The middle of the three children is a real dog lover. She plays with the new puppy. Rolls around the floor with it and sleeps next to it, while the other two children are not big dog lovers and they tend to mostly ignore both the adult dog and the new puppy. The adult dog watches the behavior of the middle child and the new puppy and in his confusion as to what order the pack is now in, places this child in the same position as the new puppy. The adult dog instinctually tries to establish a new pecking order. In the dogs mind he sees this order as:
1. Husband
2. Wife
3. Oldest Child
4. Youngest Child
Left are the new puppy and the middle child. The adult dog has mistakenly considered the middle child in the same position as the new puppy. The adult dog loves the child, but his instincts tell him there must be an order.
The adult dog instinctively tries to establish the order of the last three members of the pack: himself, the child and the new puppy. The adult dog begins to show signs of dominance with puppy and the child. When the child tries to hug the dog, the dog growls.
There is great confusion in the adult dog's mind. He gets scolded when he growls at the child, but yet his instincts are not satisfied and he is greatly confused and scared. His instincts tell him there must be an order. The parents tell the dog not to challenge the child. The dog does not think in the same way humans think. Dogs act in instinct, not reasoning. The adult dog simply cannot comprehend what is being asked of him.
This behavior towards the child cannot be tolerated. The child must be taught how to regain control of the dominate dog and establish her order above all dogs.
The child needs to learn and follow these dominant dog rules.
1. The middle child must now be the only one to feed the dogs. She must give the dogs a command before she gives them their food. If a dog does not follow her command (i.e. to sit), he does not eat.
2. All humans must eat Before the dogs, as the leader always eats first. When you give your dog its food eat a small snack first while he is watching, lay the snack near the dogs food so that he thinks you are eating out of his bowl (the leader always eats first)
3. No table scraps should be fed to the dogs during a meal.
4. Feedings must be at a scheduled time. (no self feeding dog food dispensers should be used, as this allows The Dog to Choose when he eats.)
5. The child must not let the dog go through any doorways first. Or up or down the stairs first. Dogs must always go through the doorways or up and down the steps After the humans, as the leader of the pack always goes first. The dog must be told to "stay" and given the command to "come" after all humans have passed through.
6. When you have left the house or the room, even for a minute and come back in the room, ignore the dog for a few minutes.
7. A simple obedience command such as “Sit” should be given before any pleasurable interaction with the dog. (i.e. play session, petting, feeding or a walk etc…) The children should give the dogs commands at least once a day and reward with a treat when the command is followed. A simple “Sit” will do. No treat should be awarded if the dog does not follow the command. Show your dog he does not get anything for free. His food, water, treats, even praise/love have to be earned by doing something. Even something as little as sit or come.
8. The children should not lay on the floor to watch TV when the dog is around and no one should roll around the floor playing with the dogs, as a human should never put himself in an equal or lesser height position than the dog.
9. You are the one who greets newcomers first, the dog is the last who gets attention (the pack leader is the one who greets newcomers and lets the rest know when it is safe to greet the newcomer)
10. If a dog is laying in your path, the dog Must get up and move out of your way. Do not step over the dog even if you can. In the wild, the pack leader always makes the lower dogs in the pack move.
11. During the time the child is establishing her higher pack position, no hugs should be given to the dog by the child, as a dominant dog may consider this a challenge of power.
12. If you establish eye contact with the dog, the dog must avert his gaze first. If the human averts first this reinforces the dogs higher power position. Tell the children Not to have staring contest with the dog, as if they avert or blink first, it will only reinforce, in the dogs mind, that He is TOP DOG.
13. Dogs must not sleep in your bed. The comfortable bed is reserved for the higher humans.
14. Dogs must never be allowed to mouth or bite anyone at any time, including in play.
15. Any attention given to the dog, including petting should be given when the Human decides attention is to be given (absolutely No Petting when the dog nudges or paws you or your hand. This would be letting the dog decide and reinforcing, in his mind, that he is higher on the scale than the human.)
16. Games of fetch or play with toys must be Started and Ended by the Human.
17. Dogs should not be allowed to lie on your furniture, as the leader of the pack always gets the most comfortable spot. Dogs belong on the floor.
18. No tug-of-war, as this is a game of power and you may lose the game giving the dog a reinforcement (in the dog's mind) of top dog.
19. Dogs need to be taught a “Drop it” or release command. Any objects the dog has in his possession should be able to be taken away by all humans.
20. Dogs own no possessions, everything belongs to the humans. They are all on "loan" from the human family. You should be able to handle or remove any item at all times from the dog with no problems from the dog. Even if you are taking a chicken bone out of the dog's mouth.
21. Dogs should not be allowed to pull on the leash. When they do this they are leading the way and it is the humans that need to lead the way and show they're higher up in the pack order. (In the wild, the leader of the pack always leads the way; the leader leads the hunt.)
22. When on a walk, a dog must not be allowed to sniff or eliminate anywhere he wishes. One marking against a tree is enough for male dogs.
23. Small dogs or puppies who demand to be picked up or put down should Not get what they want until they sit or do another acceptable quiet behavior. They should not be put down unless they are settled quietly in your arms.
24. Dogs should Never be left unsupervised with children or Anyone who cannot maintain leadership over the dog.
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