Gaining Leadership/Respect
Prerequisite: Temperament Evaluation/Settle Exercise
Why does My Dog want to “Lead the Pack?”
Your dog is a pack animal. Your dog knows instinctively, that a pack without a leader,
will not survive. If the pack doesn’t survive, neither does the individual dog. As
with any animal, the instinct to survive is very strong, even in today’s domestic pets.
So, unless you present yourself as the pack leader, your dog may be under the impression
that the position needs to be filled.
The following exercises are designed to put you in the leadership position - by controlling
important resources such as food, toys, moving space, and sleeping space.
Remember: If you're planning on interacting with your dog, you MUST be able to back up
what you say. That means if you are with the dog and supervising it, the dog is ALWAYS
LEASHED and ready to work.
You have three seconds or less to deliver an effective correction. Corrections must be
consistent, timely, and motivational.
Food Resources
The leader of a pack controls food resources.
1. Whenever your dog is getting food, treats, bones, or toys, you need to own it first.
Use treats, food, toys, etc. with this exercise.
2. Give your dog the ‘leave it' command.
3. Lower the food to dog-nose level.
4. If your dog goes for the food, say "AH!" and give a correction. Do NOT pull the food
away.
5. When your dog clearly refuses the food by turning his head away, stepping back, or
turning eyes away, praise.
6. When you are ready for the dog to take the food, give the ‘release’ command and
allow the dog to take the food.
7. Repeat the above exercise until you have 10 refusals (dog turns away from food
without a correction).
8. Practice this exercise daily with your dog.
Moving Space
The leader of a pack does just that: LEADS the pack – into new areas, on hunts, etc.
The leader doesn’t put itself in submissive positions - he or she 'owns' the space.
1. Take ownership of doorways, stairways, hallways, etc.
2. Give the 'wait' command.
3. Move through the doorway in front of the dog.
4. If the dog tries to go through with you or before you, correct with the “AH!” and
begin again. Use your body to block the dog.
5. Do NOT repeat the ‘wait’ command. You said it once, now you are enforcing it.
6. When you are ready for the dog to come through, give the ‘release.’
7. Repeat the above exercise until you have 10 refusals (the dog waits at the door
without a correction).
8. Practice this exercise daily with your dog.
Do not allow your dog to race you up and down stairs, or hallways – keep your dog's
respect by ‘leading’ the pack!
Sleeping Space
The leader of a pack sleeps wherever it wants to. No one sleeps in the leader's bed.
1. Spend time in your dog’s favorite sleeping areas, including his bed!
2. Occasionally, move your dog from his favorite sleeping spaces, using the leash.
3. Slip socks that have been worn, but not washed under his bedding or crate to ‘mark’
that you’ve been sleeping there.
SNEAK PEEK:
Congratulations! You're on your way to having a happy, well-behaved dog. The next step is attention training. I
think you'll agree, if your dog isn't paying any attention to you, it's going to be quite difficult for the dog to hear (much
less understand) any new skills you try to teach it.
In our next lesson, we're going to convince your dog that you are the most important thing in the universe. Yep.
More important than other dogs, people, even squirrels or bunnies! Can you think of any situations in the past where
having your dog's complete attention would have helped to avoid trouble?