From the desk of Sharda Baker.



Sunday, January 30, 2011

Hi and welcome everyone!

Hello and welcome! This is Sharda with another dog training newsletter for you.

Welcome back to part 5 of the 24steps to becoming the alpha dog of your household.

Let’s continue with this shall we?


DOG TRAINING – STEPS TO BECOME ALPHA



LEAD THE LEASH

On no account should you as the alpha be on the other end of the leash, while your dog leads the way. When you walk your dog, make sure that he walks as close as possible to you and definitely not ahead of you. Dog train him by refusing to go in the direction in which he is pulling.

When he pulls in a certain direction, walk the other way and then give the leash a tug, to make him come to you. Confuse him by not going his way, till he begins to look at you for guidance.

Once you have his attention, walk in a way with him by your side. If he again tries to yank you in another way, stop right away and go the opposite way.



CHANNEL HIS ENERGY

One of the ways you can be the alpha to your dog is by giving him a job to do. Roll him a ball and get him to get it back to you. Play fetch or Frisbee. Hide things and let him find and bring it to you. You can even hide yourself and get him to find you.

Do remember that you should always have control of the ball or the stick at the end of the game. Don’t let him undermine your authority by running away with the items, which he should actually bring to you. If you are playing tug, make sure that you win even if it means yanking him off his feet.

You can even find him chores to do in the house like fetching your sneakers and socks or even the newspaper from the front porch. By assigning him a job, you are dispensing your authority and making him do your bidding.



SET THE WRONG RIGHT

Do not encourage the wrong behavior. This would mean that you should not laugh at his or her errors. They might look funny when they are trying to pull out the clothes from the washing machine in a bid to help you, but do not laugh, or they will see it as an antic to be repeated and you will end up with torn linen. Enforce the right action right away.

Don’t think you can correct a puppy later, when he’s grown up.


BE A FAIR LEADER

A leader not only leads, he or she is also fair and just. Have reasonable expectations. If your dog misbehaves, punish him. If he rectifies his behavior, reward him. Show him affection when he deserves it. Make the right decisions and don’t go overboard with the dominance.

The idea behind being alpha is to be in-charge and in-control, not to be hard-hearted. These are all the steps you can follow to establish yourself as the alpha of the pack. The idea is to consistently adopt the alpha behavior till the message gets to your dog.

If you change your attitude and assume an air of authority, your dog, no matter how spoiled he or she is, will automatically sense your power and begin to evaluate you as the leader. It’s all about attitude.

Have you ever wondered how some people manage to get their dogs to listen to every word they say? It’s the alpha attitude.

Remember that dog training or dog obedience training can be made easier if your dog looks up to you as the alpha of your household. Your road to being alpha may be filled with bumps and frustration but just remember to be patient and consistent with what you’re doing.

I understand that there may be some who do not agree with some of the 24 steps that I have mentioned but you don’t actually need to use all the 24 steps all at once.

Just work on the things that you think are right for you and your dog.

Being alpha is all about attitude and committing to what you think will help your dog become a better dog for you, your family and your neighborhood.

I really hope that you learn a lot from this 5 part dog training newsletter about the 24 steps to become alpha.

Thanks for listening!

All the best and take care

Warmly,