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Dog Training Tips for Training Your Dog

The Alpha Myth - Do Dogs Really Think We Are Dogs?

A new Understanding and Training Method.

The last time I looked, I definitely did not have anal glands, fur, mobile ears, a tail, four legs or a nose than can detect smells 100,000 times better than any humans. I don't really smell like a dog or even look like one. Though I am sure there are people who know me, that may just question the last two statements.

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What I am saying is that my dogs know I am not a dog. It does not matter how many times I eat before them, or how many times I come in and ignore them, I still cannot convince them that I am a dog.

Lets look at it another way, if we managed to convince a dog that we are a dog, then all the dogs that are aggressive to other dogs would be aggressive to us. Which is clearly not the case.

In simple terms I cannot be the Alpha. Dogs are conspecific that means they can only truly pack up with their own kind. Unlike birds, dogs do not bond and lock onto the first thing they see when they are born. Therefore dogs know when they meet other dogs that they are dogs and when he meets humans he sees them as a different species.

Even if I dressed up as Scooby-Doo and ran around barking and peeing up the walls, I would not convince even the most naïve of pooches. They would easily seeing through my cunning disguise and know that I am not a dog. I would also imagine my family and clients would not be overly impressed

Why? Even in our most fevered imaginations can we believe that gesture eating, ignoring them when coming back in, or going through doorways first will be the magical formula to convince them that we are an Alpha dog, and therefore leader of the pack.

It is my humble opinion that rank reduction programs, where we are told to act like an Alpha does not work in changing behaviour over the long-term. In the short term you will see some changes in behavioural patterns, but long term then will be very little change or benefit. In reality quite the opposite can happen. By ignoring and isolating your dog for long periods you can cause confusion, distress, anxiety, and distrust, which can detrimentally affect the bond and trust you have with each other.

Do wolves ignore each other or stand in line?

Have you ever see Wolves, Dingoes, Coyotes, or Wild Dogs ignoring their pack members when they return from a hunt or a foray? In reality they have an intricate and stylized greeting ritual, which does not include sending each other to Coventry. They may shun a badly behaved pack member, but that is only temporarily and never when greeting after an absence. I use this shunning method later in this article as the "naughty step"

Do you ever see wild dogs or wolves lining up in rank order to eat? Just imagine all the timber wolves in an nice orderly queue with numbers on their backs. The Alpha male bellowing, " come in number four it's your turn to eat, now what would you prefer Antelope or Buffalo?"

That's more like a Gary Larsen farside cartoon than the reality of what happens in wolf or wild canid packs. They all just get stuck in and grab whatever they can. It may involve some snarling and ritualized aggression; however this is generally from the middle to lower end of the pack.

The problem with the people who advocate the Alpha and rank reduction route, is either they do not understand or they choose to ignore the fact that behavioural problems in dogs often has wide and differing backgrounds. Pack dynamics only involves approximately 15% of the cases that I have to treat.

These proponents of rank reduction would have us believe that pack dynamics is the answer to each and every behavioural abnormality, they are sadly and frighteningly wrong. If only it were that simple.

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Resource Controller

Though I clearly cannot be an Alpha ( after all I am not a dog), I can be a controller of resources and a leader of sorts. I can change the behaviour of my dogs from unacceptable to acceptable. I can also initiate programs of change using psychology and sometimes just simple basic obedience training. My actions, and how I relate and communicate with my pets is the basis of how I work and why I get the level of success with my clients.

To be a controller you need to convince your dog that mutual respect is required, that includes your body space. I may not want to be leapt on every time I come in. Greeting is fine as long as it does not include jumping all over me or my friends, which is considered rude and inappropriate in wild dogs and wolves.

I believe we should strive more for democracy than outright autocracy, or the opposite which is totally ignoring the bad behaviour and only praising the good, which appears to be the misguided belief of the so called positive reinforcement trainers. I use operant conditioning methods. And if these trainers understood "operant conditioning" they would know there are four parts to it. Not just positive reinforcement in isolation.

How can any animal, including humans differentiate between right or wrong, if they are not shown or told?

Most good trainers and behaviourists are aware that there is not just one Alpha male and female in the pack. Scientists and biologists no longer use the term Alpha they tend to use the word "breeders" to describe the leaders of the pack. These breeders can constitute any number of males and females in each group or pack.

The breeders are the only ones that actually breed. The other females do not come into heat and the males do not cock their legs, unless of course they become a breeder at some stage. This is a form of hormonal neutering far more effective than anything that humans can come up with.

How do I become a controller?

What we must first ascertain is what is an important resource to your dog. In many cases food is extremely high on the agenda, especially very tasty treats. But not always. A resource can also include toys, games, access, and anything else you dog may consider important.

I tend to start with food and use either sausage or mild cheddar cheese, because they tend not to create crumbs. Which tends to distract the dog's attention at a time when you need it to be concentrating on you.

I use a training aid called "The Jingler" which helps with many training and behavioural problems, including walking to heel, jumping up, recall, sit stay, mutual respect, some types of aggression and even car and bike chasing. Even more importantly it sets your position as a resource controller.

What these techniques actually do is to realign in the mind of your dog that you control vital resources. you are actually saying is this is my bone/treat, I am prepared to share it but only when I give you permission". You are actually training control initially, of one of the greatest resources of all FOOD.

Once you have completed these exercises you have set into your dogs mind that you are a resource controller, then all other training will become much easier. The dog will come to respect your body space and not abuse or invade it without being invited. You can then start working on the lead work, recall and many others behaviours you wish to work on.

Attention on Demand

The second part of being a controller is to control attention on demand. Many of the behavioural issues I see involving what the owner believes is dominance is in reality a form of attention seeking. Barking, growling, jumping, destruction of objects, (especially in you presence) some toileting problems and object stealing may be forms of attention seeking behaviour.

Now we are going to effectively mimic the naughty step type of behaviour training used in rearing children, except with a dog you have to effectively isolate them when bad behaviour occurs. It is important to understand that social isolation should only ever be for very short periods. And remember this is nothing to do with ignoring when you come it is about non-reward for bad behaviour.

Keep the dog on a short house lead preferably 3ft long made of nylon. I would only use this size and material for use as a house lead, not to walk to heel. I use my own leads which are manufactured for me and made of an incredible material called cushion web for use outside.

If the dog is misbehaving such as barking nipping, biting or other behavioural problems, simply pick up the lead with no command or visual acknowledgment and take the dog to another room (a downstairs toilet is ideal). Place the dog in the room and shut the door trapping the lead in the door so the dog cannot move too far away from the door.

Leave for two minutes (unless still barking) then go and let him out, If he continues with the behaviour he was displaying before, repeat the exercise until the behaviour stops. It will not take too long for the dog to realise that it is getting non reward for its behaviour and gradually the problems will subside. Praise for good behaviour but do not ignore bad behaviour act on it and be consistent and fair in all your training.

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About the Author

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