To Lead Is To Love

 

Did you know that a new puppy or even an older adopted dog new to your family, bonds, blends and thrives in a family environment with clear, consistent boundaries and expectations?  Your new family dog looks to his new owner for leadership and definition of his place in the PACK.  You are human, but to him you are his pack and dog packs have an inherent hierarchy.  Without this hierarchy, dogs will tend to seek out an equal or higher position than that of yours or your family members.  This creates behavior problems.  Clear training, instruction and consistency is essential in creating a happy, loving and balanced relationship between you and your dog.  It takes more than love, it takes leadership.

How do you achieve this?  Well first, any dog should receive basic obedience training through a class or even on your own as long as you are able and willing to do the research in books or online.  Then every day, the rules you set need to be consistently followed.  For example, if you say “No” to the dog being on the couch, it should be “No” from everyone in the family.  Teach him “Off” and stick with it.  Later, once well trained and behaved, you can “invite” him up if you so desire.

Do not let him INSIST on treats or beg for food at the table.  Reserve treats for when you ask him to do something like “sit”, and he does it.  He should be in a designated place, like a crate, a dog bed, in another room or even outside when the family is at the table.  Later when trained and well behaved you can invite him to be nearer to the family at meal time, if you so desire.

Do not “FREE FEED”.  In other words, give him his meal and if he does not eat it within 20 minutes, pick it up until the next feeding time.  The LEADER always controls the food in the pack.

Be a responsible dog owner by not allowing excessive barking, jumping up on guests, soiling the neighbor’s yard or being off leash in public.

Practice with your dog every day.  Working with your dog gives the dog a “job” and it gives you a sense of accomplishment when you see progress.  You can’t expect your dog to learn or improve without investing some time and energy

These are just a few basics to consider with the most important being training. Remember, “To lead is to Love”.

Jann Watts, Legacy Dog Training

Prescott Arizona