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Training is the key, as well as your behavior, to indicate to the dog that you are the Alpha. Simple things like never allowing the dog to hop on any furniture until he or she is given permission. Never allowing the dog to enter a door before you reveal to him he is not leading the way because YOU are. Never allow the dog to see you clean up a mess he or she has made because they see this as you being subservient to them.
At dinner time the dog has to sit quietly while you fix his dinner. Never jumping and barking all around the kitchen like a wild animal. When you and the family sit down to eat the dog is never allowed to sit or jump, begging for food from the table.
While many of these may seem like common sense things, you would be surprised at how many dog owners never figure this stuff out. Then they complain about how difficult the dog can be at times. Practice the above tips and show your dog you are the Alpha of his pack. He will be happier knowing where he fits in and your home will be a more peaceful place.
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ES
says:I was going to post about how utterly nonsensical and outdated this was but Sue beat me to it. Dogington post should be ashamed that they allowed this on their site.
I was taught canine behavior in veterinary medical school by a veterinarian who was both board certified in canine behavior and has published multiple studies on canine behavior. This was three years ago, and I learned then that the “Dominance theory” had been outdated even for years before that. So this is at least probably ten years out of date. The dominance theory (or rather, hypothesis) came from studying unrelated wolves confined within enclosures. In situations like that, they do indeed form a sort of hierarchy. But this is very different from the sort of familial associations that wolves form in the wild. It is unfortunate that this dominance training regime has become so firmly ingrained in the collective psyche (no thanks to the Dog Whisperer show either), when scientific evidence has refuted it.
This topic is too expansive to do it justice in one post. I could elaborate on proper training techniques, the reason why some “dominance” training superficially seems to work (like teaching a dog to wait before you enter a door, wait before eating – what you are teaching is patience, not submission), but it would be pointless. A proper article written by someone who actually knows what they are talking about would suffice in that regard.
Sue Penn, ABCDT Professional Trainer & Behavior Specialist
says:Wow, your information on training & is outdated and based on outdated myths about dogs…perhaps you need to get with a Certified Professional Behavior Trainer who can give you proper info instead of info that winds up doing damage to dogs. If you were to educate yourself on dogs & behavior you would realize that this information in incorrect. Behavioral sciences has come a long way and made alot of progress on proper & proven methods that do not employ a mythical “dominance theory” methodology. Putting info out there that is outdated does harm to dogs.