In my long relationship with dogs, I have had several “alpha” dogs. I have never had any problems with them at all. If handled correctly and after a certain amount of training, they become very well-behaved, dependable, charming, loyal, confident, self-assured, and wonderfully protective companions. In fact, he preferred training a tough and somewhat stubborn dog to a submissive animal that presented no challenges.
But the alpha dog is not suitable for every type of owner.
In fact, there have been several occasions where I had a litter of puppies for sale and a prospective buyer fell in love with one particular pup, bold and outgoing. Sometimes I refused to sell the puppy because I felt the buyer was too gentle, too kind; the kind of person who would be easily dominated by the animal.
When selecting a puppy from a litter for competitive obedience, it is sometimes best to ignore the more dominant “leader of the pack” and settle for the friendly, outgoing, happy, eager-to-please type of puppy who seems to love everyone.
Obviously this depends on the type of obedience work you have in mind and your own personality and temperament. But, in general, the “alpha” dog requires special handling. Even as a puppy, the animal has to learn to respect you before it is ready to give you its unconditional love.
I have referred to the male instead of the bitch because the alpha animal is more likely to be a male. But this is not always the case. There are times, though not very often, when the leader of the pack is definitely a bitch. If so, the same conditions will apply in terms of training.
This is not to say that the training method requires harsh and severe methods and complete dominance on the part of the handler. There are some trainers who firmly believe that it is necessary to break the dog to gain dominance and to get the dog to obey at all times.
I do not hold this opinion. It is definitely not necessary to be harsh and brutal in your training with any dog. Firm, certainly, but not unnecessarily harsh to demonstrate his superiority.
However, the important thing is consistency in your training and fairness. Consistency may be easier to understand than “fairness.”
My interpretation of fairness is that when you train the alpha dog you must be in complete control of your emotions. This is a general principle when you are training any type of dog. There is absolutely no point in starting a training session when, for one reason or another, you are irritable, in a bad mood and there is a danger of overreacting to disobedience on the part of the dog.
This applies to all dogs regardless of temperament. But it is of far greater importance when training an alpha dog.
An overreaction on your part and a much harsher reprimand than necessary will backfire. Weeks of hard training will be delayed by some unnecessary action on your part as a result of your lack of control.
You must remember that your alpha dog will only respect you if you are prepared to take charge and behave like the leader of the pack. If he is not prepared to do so, he will soon assume the role that he believes is his rightful one. And, make no mistake; Until you have definitely proven that you have the right to be the leader of the pack and he is ready to accept it, he will challenge you every time.
A common situation occurs when the alpha pup is first introduced into the home.
The pup may decide that he is more comfortable on the seat than on the floor. This can be mildly amusing when it comes to a young puppy. But this type of behavior must be corrected immediately and as firmly as the situation warrants.
The correction and warning must be immediate and firm. But not necessarily hard. In training classes, I would always instruct class members to be very definite about their tone when giving the “No!” command. The command, and it is a command, not a request or an instruction, must always be given in such a way that there is no confusion in the dog’s mind that it is a command that must be obeyed.
The tone and inflection of the voice should not suggest the sound of “No” – and to the dog it is just a sound – it can be interpreted as “If you don’t mind, I’d be so glad if you didn’t.” that”.
This may sound funny and make it sound like I’m exaggerating, but this is much more common in training classes than you might think. Some people hate saying “No!” to their children. They often pass the same attitude on to their dogs. Perhaps they believe that there is a danger of a decline in love if they are too strict in their demands.
They may feel that the demands are unreasonable.
Could not be farther from the truth. In dog training, respect is just as important as the unconditional love your dog is expected to give you. Probably more and more important. And respect also implies complete obedience to your orders.
Children have the great advantage of being able to give you all sorts of reasons why they shouldn’t listen to your “commands” or “requests” to do a certain thing.
The word “why?” it’s probably the third word they learn after “mama” and “dada”.
It is a world that they use continuously and with excellent results. Very often you are unable to counter their arguments or you don’t have enough energy!
Dogs, fortunately, do not have access to the device of the word “Why”. However, they have other weapons in their arsenal. The submissive dog will lie down and whimper. If it’s a submissive bitch who just won’t listen, she’ll lie on her back, have a pained, hurt look in her eyes as if to say “How can you be so horrible to me when I’m so loyal and loving to you?” ?” You immediately melt and give up. “OK! You really don’t have to listen to me.”
The alpha male will react very differently. He will look at you, challenge you, and possibly even growl. “No way, nurd! Try to force me!” How do you react to this kind of behavior?
This is behavior you have anticipated, so you know exactly how to react. You are ready. First of all, in the early stages of training follow the golden rule of never giving a command unless you are in a position to make sure it is going to be executed and you have the means at your disposal to correct any refusal on the part of the dog. to carry out your request.
Suppose you have given your alpha the command “Down”. This is a very important command for several reasons. When the alpha dog, or any dog, is in the “down” position, he is in a submissive state. You are above the dog. You are in command. You are the leader of the pack. When you give the alpha dog the “down” command, make sure you do it with the training collar attached to his neck and a good sturdy leather leash in your hand that you hold in the slack position.
You give the dog the “down” command and if you have no doubt that the dog definitely understands what you mean, you wait exactly two seconds before reacting.
(I have assumed that “Down” is an exercise you have taught the dog before. There is no doubt that he understands your command. The reason he has not responded immediately is that he is testing your authority.)
You almost expected your alpha dog to test your authority, so you’re prepared. You are also mentally prepared. You’re not going to overreact. He will not be overly emotional, bitterly hurt and disappointed, or react in anger. You coldly and dispassionately repeat the command in an unmistakably firm voice, and at the same time pull on the leash as hard as you can.
Because you have been standing in front of the dog when you have given the “Down” command, it is very easy for you to pull on the leash. His repeated command “Down!” given with a very firm voice, but not necessarily a shout, when given in conjunction with the leash tug it makes the dog not just a command but a reprimand.
I would like to make special reference to the fact that it is not necessary to shout. I actually feel like yelling diminishes your authority. If you yell and your dog still won’t listen, what do you do for an encore? So, if necessary, he can give the command of it almost like a whisper, or a whistle! And if you wish, your voice can also carry the hint of a threat. But there is no anger. You are in command. You are the leader of the pack!
The “Down” exercise is a great way to reinforce your authority. The exercise I mentioned above is done with the dog directly in front of you, but it can be just as effective when he is standing some distance away from the dog, but once again with a long leash in hand.
Let’s say you’re standing a certain distance from your dog: the length of your long leash or, if you prefer, the length of an extra-long 10- or 12-foot line. You give your dog “Down”. He doesn’t respond as quickly as you want him to, as he anticipates. You immediately repeat the order and run forward to push him down.
The alpha dog must be taught to take your commands seriously. He must be taught to respond immediately. If he does, don’t forget to praise him enthusiastically. He is generous in the praise of him. Even look for opportunities to be generous in your praise. Take the opportunity to give him commands that you know he will respond to immediately, such as “sit” when he is to your left. Then praise him loudly and with great enthusiasm, even though what he has done is not really in the service of such abundant praise.
You have to constantly remind the alpha dog that you are the leader of the pack, sometimes subtly, sometimes more overtly. Small incidents also have weight.
When you walk through the door of your house, it is common for a dog to run in front of you. With some dogs this is not a serious misdemeanor. With an alpha dog this should not be allowed. Gently but firmly you command “Wait!” The dog must wait until you have entered and then you let him into the house. You are the owner of your own house. You have precedence. Make him constantly aware of this.
As “leader of the pack”, you can act up and make training fun. There are times when he must abandon the use of jerk corrective measures. He uses a toy that the dog likes to play with. Use it to keep it close to you in the heel position. Keep him from jumping to get to it with mild voice corrections, but keep him happy and excited to be a part of the game.
When you have mastered the formal aspect of recovery training, you sometimes relieve the pressure by turning recovery into a nice game. Use the retrieved article as a “search” article. Start doing this at home. Hide the item first under a chair or cushion and send the dog to fetch it. Then hide the item in another room in the house and repeat the process.
Do the same thing when you’re out in a field. If you’re concerned that this might mess up your dog’s conventional, formal dumbbell retrieve, use some other item for his “retrieve.”
Training an “alpha” dog can be a very rewarding and satisfying challenge, but remember that the key to a mutually satisfying relationship is respect. You are the leader of the pack. It is somewhat similar to a “Boss” “Employee” relationship. You don’t mind being called by your first name. You are warm, generous and friendly. But you’re still the “Boss.” Your dog should always be prepared to give you the respect your position deserves.