I don’t suppose you realised that when you brought you dog into your home you had to be a leader.You were looking for a best friend but your dog needs a strong leader – that’s you.As you might expect, things to do with the ‘companion’ role have nothing in common with those associated with the ‘leadership’ role.   So if you are going to have a successful relationship with your dog you need to put the ‘companion’ role in the back seat and take up your responsibilities as a leader.Your dog will feel unsafe and try to take on the leadership role himself unless you do.This can result in several mostly undesirable behaviours.

To stand a chance of becoming an effective leader you must see things as if from your dog’s eyes.There are three principles that you should follow to become an effective pack leader. This dog training guide outlines three principles that you should always follow.

1 Manage your Dog’s Time

Create a routine and do not depart from it.Routines are a dog’s best friend.Use a crate and stick to a routine with it.   The crate is the safest, most effective form of confinement.Your dog will be eager to go there and feels safe and secure.It is necessary to acclimatise your puppy to it as quickly as possible and use it for the whole of his life according to the requirements of his particular development stage.

It is your job to provide consistency in rules and structure and set and maintain boundaries.As your dog proves himself a good leader expands his boundariesof responsibility.He also does not hesitate about removing some freedom or tightening boundaries if poor behaviours return.

2 Direct Activities

When your dog is not in his crate you should have an activity plan ready which is not just ‘Stay out of my way’.You dog must know what is acceptable behaviour in your home so you should actively practice obedience commands.The brightest star in your dog’s universe is praise, it is what his world is all about.Running through obedience commands provides the chance to give your dog that praise and should be a major part of dog obedience training.

3 Be Consistent

Without consistency your dog will be confused and frustrated.Always use the same sequence of command words every time that you require a certain behaviour or action.   Similarly, every person in your home must follow the same pattern.It is essential that when you have a stressful day you do not take your stress out on the dog.stressed outbreaks from you will cause stressful reactions from your dog.Leaders do not act in an inconsistent manner they remain in control of their feelings.

So that’s all there is to it – If you are ready to become pack leader and do everything that it entails, you will discover that your dog becomes a wonderful companion which is what you wanted in the first place isn’t it.

For more information on all aspects of dog training follow this link to my Dog Training Guide.