After going to the Dog
Lover Show in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago I have been inspired by the Dog
Listener, Tony Knight. He spoke about the pack mentality and I swear I have
seen a big change in Coop already, just after two weeks of implementing his
theories.
It is actually pretty
simple, you need to start thinking like a dog- because your dog doesn't think
like a person. Dogs come from packs and packs need leaders. So if you're not
being the leader, your dog will take on that role for you. And it is from this
that so many behavioural problems develop in dogs.
Tony believes that good
leadership needs no force, gadgets or dependence on exercise to change a dog's
mind. Good communication at critical times is what’s required.
You need to constantly be
thinking and communicating that you are the boss, you need to believe this so
that your dog believes it too.
A few small things we have changed
and that I encourage you to change are:
1.
The way you greet your dog when you come home or
after extended periods of being apart. When you walk in the door you must ignore your dog- no
touch, talk or eye contact. Once your dog has calmed down, has left you
alone and found a quiet spot to lie down, give him 5 minutes and then call him
over to you and then you can make a fuss and say hello. Don’t go over to him,
he needs to come to you. You need to be the one to tell your dog when you want
to greet him. No matter how much he nudges- you need to wait until he is calm. The
idea behind this is that as the pack leader, you require your own personal
space and your dog should respect this and then when you are ready, you greet
your dog on your terms. Cooper brings us toys, he rests his head on our laps if
we sit down and he tries to lick us. It is cute, but he is not respecting our
personal space. He is very quickly learning that if he leaves us alone and
gives us the space – he will then be rewarded.
2.
When you leave home. When you leave home, do not make a fuss and say
good bye to your dog. Your dog does not understand English and is also not
going to know if you have been gone for 5 minutes or for 5 hours. They don’t
wear watches. The more of a fuss you make, the more you can actually stress out
your dog. If your dog believes he is the pack leader, he can become very
stressed out when you leave home. Has your dog dug up your garden, chewed up
your furniture or just been destructive when you have left home? This is
because your dog believes he is the leader of the pack and is worried about
you. Just like a mother worrying where her child has gone. In a pack, when a
dog goes out to hunt, there is a possibility that the dog will not return. So this
behaviour stems from your dog worrying about you and when you will return. So
when you leave, don’t make a fuss, just walk out the door with no touch no talk
and no eye contact.
3.
The way you give affection to your dog. How often do you find yourself sitting on the
couch stroking your pup? But did you invite him over? No. So the key here is no
more patting/ affection unless you invite your dog over for it. It's tough, but
it works. You need to put him in his place and it needs to be on your terms.
4.
Feeding time. In the pack, the pack leader will always eat first and then give
what’s left over to its pack. I now
have dried apricots sitting next to Coopers dog food. I put his food in his
bowl, and then I take an apricot and start eating it. To Cooper, this looks
like it is coming from his bowl, he watches me eat it and then when I am
finished, I give him his food. Try it, it is simple but effective! And it really
does help to put him in his place in the pecking order.
5.
When guests enter your home. Again, no touch, no talk, no eye contact. This
is so important. People will think your nuts – my friends already think I am
nuts but your dog needs to learn to respect peoples personal space. If your dog
thinks it is the leader, he can also become protective over you, hence why dogs
bark when the doorbell rings, they are trying to notify and protect their
pack.
6.
The walk. When a pack leader goes out to hunt he will want to be in front
and lead his pack. If your dog pulls on the lead, it’s because it believes it’s
your pack leader. So when you walk your dog, he should be by your side, not in
front of you. By changing the above few things and asserting yourself as the
boss, you will notice that your dog will stop pulling on the lead because
he will no longer believe he is the leader.
These changes should be a permanent
thing. If you stick to it – pretty quickly, your dog will learn that you are
the alpha of the pack and they will start to respect you more and just enjoy
life. Dogs are happy being apart of the pack, as long as they know there is a
pack leader, they will be happy. But if there is no leader, they will take on
that role and this can become quite stressful for the dog and in turn for the
owner.
Try it for a couple of weeks and see how you go. I know it will
be tough at first but really stick to it and you will see a difference and have
a happier more balanced dog.
I have not gone into everything in full details because I could
go on and on, so if you want to hear more and you live in Melbourne Australia –
Tony is actually coming to do a talk for my facebook group Dog Lovers Melbourne
on Tuesday night June 4th. Join the group for more details - https://www.facebook.com/groups/154099731434125/
