Ruthless Dictator or Friend?

After raising dogs as part of my family for so long, I can speak from experience when I say that forcing them off of the couch or pinning them to the ground to exercise authority is unnecessary. But training dogs in the heart of the "Alpha Dog" generation has had me saying WHAT THE....??? too many times to count. The techniques range from simple and harmless, to dangerous and ridiculous. I find it frightening to see how willing people are to believe such a theory and not challenge it with common sense.

There is a reason that dogs are so trainable, and it's not because they are stupid. I prefer to give my dogs a little credit in the intelligence department. I expect them to think. I challenge them to think. The trade is that I think of them in return. And I think it would be insulting to both my and their intelligence to assume that they see me as a giant bald dog when I'm clearly a big bald monkey. Therefore pretending to be an alpha dog makes me look like an ass, which only confuses everyone.

I've seen the reactions from my student's dogs when they insist on going through every door first, eating first, or attempt to handle them in cold and uncaring ways. When your dog sees you as a volatile control freak who will flip them over on their back without warning, they may listen to your command, but it's probably for the sake of safety not love. There is a big difference between acting as a leader and acting as an insecure dictator, and your dog knows it.

Anyway, there is also some scientific merit to believing in a less militant, more caring method of training. So if you feel that the "leader of the pack" mentality is a little fishy; or if you think that alpha rolls are the best way to establish love and respect, you may find Animal Behaviorist, Kathy's Sdao's article enlightening.