Dominance

There's lots of different forms of dominance. To train your dog, and keep him controlled, you need to understand, it is a dog. Before you can deal with dog dominance issues, you must understand that dog behaviour isn't the same as us. It's all too easy to forget, your dog thinks like a dog, not like you. Your dog responds like a wolf in a pack would, not as someone within the family might. There are several techniques using the basic communication with dogs, which can all help with dominance problems.

Dogs have a natural "pack psychology" which rules the way they think, and how they act. In a pack, there is one alpha male and one female, to have the respect and therefore control of a dog, you must play the role of leader of the pack.

Dominance quickly becomes a problem when "weakness" is present, do not pet your dog when they are being aggressive or displaying dominance. If you display any sign of vulnerability, at the wrong time, especially because of affection, your dog will interpret this as weakness, you must not make exceptions to the rules.

That might be a small and fluffy pup right now, but what about later on when he weighs thirty kilos and is snarling? Unfortunately, too many owners pamper their two or three month old "babies", and think training can wait. A common problem with small toy breeds, as they become older, they're allowed to become the dominant leader, just because they are small and cute. Some small breeds are so pampered; they can take over the whole household, using their bad behaviour.

To control dominance problems, you need to start from the beginning, when they are a pup. Train your dog, from a puppy and keep a firm hand, not just some of the time, but constantly. Dogs with lots of zest for adventure are often the most intelligent kind, they can have enormous potential.

But they're also, usually, very difficult to train, seeking to control you and any other animals around them. Training helps remove boredom and release energy, the energy a dominant dog will usually have in abundance. Train yourself how to keep that lovable dog of yours under control, keep your home a dominance problem free zone.