How to Dominate an Alpha Dog

Does your dog think he is the boss of you and your family or house? This is not a good position to be in since most alpha dogs eventually find reason to bite it;s subordinates in the pack to keep them in line.
No one likes a biting dog. Your dog needs to learn he is not the boss, you are. There are several things you can do to get it across to your dog that you are boss and you can keep doing these forever to reinforce and maintain the new pack structure with you at the top of the ladder.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A dog that thinks it is the boss (alpha)
• Patience
• A short leash and collar
• Possibly a pinch collar for a large very stubborn dog

1. A once sweet male puppy can suddenly turn aggressive or stubborn around the age of two if not neutered. This is the age in all breeds when a teenage dog becomes an adult. Though the exact time it happens may vary slightly it does happen gradually over a 3-12 month period, and some get aggressive worse than others. if you are very sure to implement these techniques from the beginning of your dogs life with you, you are likely to avoid these issues. But a pup that is allowed to sleep in your bed, get on the furniture, gets fed before you eat, pulls you down the street on a walk, walks in front of you thru the house or thru doors, lies in your path so you have to step over him all the time, gets his way when he whines barks or growls, and is fed from the table, can easily decide it must be the boss, because in dog language all these behaviors are things that the leader of the pack do or what subordinates do to him.

2. 
    
   This dog thinks it is boss and growls at you when you make her move off the couch!

   In a dog pack, the subordinates have to move out of the way for the alpha pack leader. If the alpha dog wants the best spot in the den, all other dogs had better step aside or risk getting bitten. A subordinate dog can tell by just a look that the alpha dog wants his spot, with no questions asked a subordinate will get up and move out of the alpha dogs way. When you step over or go around your dog who is lying right in the middle of the path, you are deferring to his superiority IN HIS MIND. You think you are just being kind and not disturbing him, but in a dog's language you are being subordinate and submissive to him. Instead you should demand he move out of your way so you can pass. If he is on the couch resting and you want to sit there, purposefully make him move so you can sit where he was. Alot of trainers say to keep dogs submissive you should not let them sleep in your bed or get on furniture, and I do not agree with that. I think you can still show dominance and let the dog up, just be sure to make him move often so you get the best spot. And in the bed, make him sleep at your feet. If a dog is very dominant already then you may need to kick him out of bed to teach him a lesson. If a dog sneaks back in bed when you are asleep, you can tie then with a short lead to a bed leg or side table foot so they can lay beside you on the floor, I did this to my dog and it worked great.

3. 
    
   A gentle leader collar, the dog can open his mouth fully, it works like a horse halter.

   The best method of teaching a dog he is below you in the pack is to never let him walk in front of you. In his mind he is leading you where he wants you to go and you are following the leader. It is usually down the hall of your house, the same place you ALWAYS go, or down the street on a walk, also not much deviation so your dog takes yolu where you want to go with out a thought. But you need to make him stop and wait when you move form one end of the house to the other. Then go in front of him, he should walk behind, if he tries to pass, stop him and say "no, stay back!" and then go again. He will get the picture eventually. I often leave a short lead on a dog in the house, and just let it drag. And if I need to correct him i can step on it, or grab it and redirect him. It is usually only needed for a few days. I teach my dogs the "wait" command. it is not exactly "stay" It just means 'whatever you want to do or are getting reqady to do, wait, dont do it YET" until i say "OK" then they can break the wait and go. This is great for exiting the car, a house door, etc. Tell them wait, then when you are ready - after you have gone out, tell them ok and let them follow.
   If you are walking your dog you should NEVER let him roam freely as he wishes ahead of you, even if he does not pull bad. Tho most alpha dogs do because they feel they should be leading you where they want to go! You should use a choke chain collar or even a pinch collar for very stubborn dogs that pull hard. Use a pinch collar with caution - it can cause a dog to bite you if used to harshly. Most dogs do not need that much correction to learn. When you walk them make them heel at your left side, keep the leash very short and tight. Make him stop when you stop, and sit at your side while stopped. I let my dog sniff and pee at corner sign posts. When we come to one I stop, make him sit and say 'wait' - then say OK to let him go sniff. He realizes I am in total control of his actions. And most dogs easily learn to enjoy walking at your side. Another great tool to stop a pulling dog is a halti collar or gentle leader collar. See my resources for a link. they are amazing and give very gentle control.

4. 
    
   Take your dog's bone from him at whim.

   If you are sure your dog will not bite ( but many dominant dogs will so be careful!) then you should occasionally walk over and take his toy or bone he is chewing on. In a pack, the pack leader gets what he wants when he wants no matter who has it. Take it, hold it for a second, then toss it back to him. Or take it and keep it a while. Put it somewhere he can easily find the next day 'when the leader is done with it'. if you dog might bite if you take his toy or bone (rawhide chew) from him, then try to use the 'drop it' command or 'give' if he knows it, or use your foot with shoe on to push it away from him, then pick it up. Or use some other tool that keeps your hand far enough away to avoid a bite. You can buy those long handled grabber devices at a dollar store these days. This is a VERY strong message to an alpha dog, to take HIS thing away from him at whim....so try to do it when he is especially enjoying it.

5. 
    
   Playing tug of war with a dog? Never let go first.

   Another often over looked way to show a dog you are alpha is to eat before he does. In almost every wild animal group the leaders eat first then subordinates and children get the left overs. It is a very strong message to your dog and is simple to implement. Just feed him after you eat. Also do not feed a dog table scraps at the table. It is best not to feed them at all, but if you must, feed dominant alpha dogs after you are done eating, in their own dish. It is a big dominance signal if your dog is allowed to eat with you, it means he is at least your equal, and combined with these other issues, it does end up making him think he might be boss. Why risk it? You can also implement a rule that your dog stay out of the kitchen or room you eat in while you eat. Most houses have tile kitchen and carpeted living room or dining room attached. I make my dogs sit it the line where the two rooms change, defined by carpet meets tile. I say "out of the kitchen" when I sit down to eat. then they all go sit or laydown or stand behind the line. When I get up form eating to clear the table I tell them "ok" to release them and they can then come in. This is also a very good strong alpha message for them, to not even be allowed near you while you eat. This takes time to teach a stubborn alpha dog. You can keep a spray bottle of water at the table to squirt at the dog when it crosses the line to keep them out from a distance, it works great!

6. When you play with your dog and his toys, do not let him win tug of war,(You should not let go first). Or simply do not play it with him. I have a huge Golden Retriever who loves to play and is very strong, and was VERY alpha problematic. I still play tug of war with him, but before he can win I stop his playing by saying "down" and "no" and settle him enough to take it form him with no more 'tugging' -he may sneak in a win on occasion but that is ok - as long as most of the time I make him stop pulling and shaking by command, and then make him release the toy to me willingly. I had to teach him to do this release. If you trust your dog will not bite you then you can take the toy out his mouth forcefully by prying his jaw open as you tell him to settle down and 'give'. If you have concerns your dog may bite you, and can not get him to hand over a toy, it is probably best not to play tug of war with him at all.

7. Have staring contests with your dog. But never let him win. The looser is the one who diverts his eyes away first. This works well when you have a toy he wants. Stare him down until he defers to you, then throw the toy for him.
   In the wild in dog packs, diverting your gaze when the pack leader stares at you is showing you are willing to be submissive to him. Most humans do this to their dog not realizing they are even in a staring contest, and so the dog often 'wins' and thinks it means he is boss. You do not have to catch it every time he stares at you, you should just initiate a few stare downs of your own on occasions and always win them.

8. Get your dog neutered if you do not intend to breed him. And you really should leave that to the experts anyway. THIS GOES A long WAY TO PREVENT A MALE DOG FROM FEELING LIKE HE NEEDS TO CHALLENGE THE PACK ORDER when he reached adulthood. HE wills till be the same dog as he was before, he just will not feel as aggressive and have less urge to dominate you.

9. All of these tips work best if you implement them reliably every time over time, but a few misses on occasion will not ruin the total effort. Except for the walking part, never let your dog pull you on a walk, it is very bad dog behavior and is easy to stop. Keeping his lead short also prevents him from pooping on neighbors yards. If you want your dog to be able to run around, take him to an off leash dog park.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep repeating, it WILL work.
• If your alpha dog snarls at your or snaps when you try to be dominant, reprimand him vocally and use any method to make him obey. If he is on couch, shoo him off with a broom if you are afraid of him snapping, do not give in because he snaps, that only reinforces to him in dog language that HE is BOSS!
• Any other things you think of that makes you feel dominant over your dog, do them!
• A dog that is obviously submissive to you can be allowed to do these things with out concern but if you see them acting at all more dominant, start implementing some of these tips to put them in their place fast.
• You have to keep doing these things all the dogs life, or they will try to usurp you when they feel you are reducing your dominance standing in the pack by letting them do dominant behaviors.
• Never hit or spank your dog, they do not understand that language, it only makes them afraid of you and possibly aggressive to you. Use dog language to speak to your dog, or a water squirt bottle.

Resources

• Cesar Millan's Official Web Site The Dog Whisperer
• Google Search Results "dog training"
• Sit Means Sit Dog Trainin
• Find a dog park in your area to train at

[only1pj]

on 12/4/2009 There are a lot of useful points here.
I have been told that occasionally it may be necesary to try to physically overpower the dog in order to try and regain the alpha position, While trying to take back something a dog may have stolen from a counter top etc, something which my harm the dog if not retrieved. I have read that in their packs while still young, the parents would control the dog by the scruff of the neck and or a bite on the ear. Is there a suggested way to try and physically show the dog who has the alpha spot if this was to happen?