Call me Alpha

Well, I'm now on book three on my reading odyssey to develop my understanding of dog behavior. I just finished "Leader of the Pack" by Nancy Baer and Steve Duno. If you have a dog and you have never read a book about dogs, I highly recommend this book.

One of the critical elements of establishing pecking order, is that the master sleeps in the best place. When you share your bed with your dog, you give the dog the impression that they are on equal footing. Banishing the Chumenator from the bed has been difficult. The first night, it was pitiful. My husband and I were too tired to fight it. We had better luck the second night. The third night, she was back in bed with us. We have successfully banned her from the furniture. We've not given up on the bed thing, and I know that we are giving mixed signals. But you can only change so many behaviors and once. We have successfully banned her from the furniture. We say "off" and drag her off. Then say "good, off" and praise her lavishly. This technique has worked terrifically. When we see her contemplating mounting the furniture, we say "off", and praise her when she walks away. This took only two days. Also, all the books say you should never strike a dog. Never. Ever. Dogs respond to positive reinforcement, not negative reinforcement.

I also learned this critical tidbit that I want to share. For any of you even considering a puppy, heed this. Do not get a puppy less than 8 weeks old. Between the 6th and 8th weeks, the puppy learns how to integrate with other dogs (with its litter mates). Failing to learn this, the dog generally has anxieties about other, unfamiliar dogs. We have seen this behavior in Macy. I only wish I had read these books years ago.

So here are a few additional things that I wished I had known earlier in my dog-ownership lifetime, and that I'm going to practice consistently (exception being the bed thing at which I've temporarily failed.)

1. You go through doors first.
2. You greet your visitors first.
3. You eat first.
4. The dog always must give way to you (meaning you don't let your dog sit in the traffic area for you to step over).
5. You make the dog come to you. You do not go to the dog.
6. You must provide your dog with calm, confident leadership to include being fair in meting out punishment and praise. If you do not feel the leadership void, your dog will--and ambiguity in any of that causes your dog anxiety.
   

I also have the book, "How to Speak Doggish" (author Stanley Coren)....Buy this book for the appendix alone. It shows various body language and behaviors that are common among dogs that possibly could save your life--at the least, it will make you more adept at recognizing the dog's state of mind and how to react appropriately.

I'm done with my dog research. I feel like I've read three books that have provided both insight and practical advice. I will seek out a dog obedience class in the New Year. That's one resolution out of the way.