Who’s In Charge?
by
Ginger McAfee
Dogs are communal creatures
and believers in social structure as well as a clearly defined pecking order
within the formation of their pack. The leader of this pack is called alpha.
Alpha is the boss, the top dog, so to speak. The one who gets to do everything
first. He gets to eat first, he gets the choice sleeping places and is the
first to get attention from the other members of his pack. Your family is your
dogs pack, this includes the human as well as canine members of your family
unit.
Some dogs will naturally fit
into the social structure of a pack in a subordinate position. Certain breeds
are predisposed more than others to do this, however a Scottie is not one of
them. Scotties, for the most part, come into the world believing themselves to
be in charge. Our job is to help them
understand that we humans are going to be the leaders of our pack. This may not
be too difficult if we begin when they are wee pups, but if we have allowed
them to grow up thinking they control the household, we may have a problem on
our hands.
Your dog’s mother taught him
very early that she was the alpha, and that he was to respect her position.
When you bring a puppy home, you need to continue the training that his mother
has begun and transfer the alpha roll to you and he is free to find a more
secure place within the pecking order. Begin by rolling him over on his back
often. Not for a belly rub, but in order for him to become comfortable exposing
his belly to you, a real sign of submission. Hold him in your arms and place
your chin over his neck and head. This is what dogs do when they meet each
other for the first time, the dog who gets his head on top is alpha. Hold him
up to your eye level and look him directly in the eyes until he looks away.
Teach him to sit and stay, then always make him wait until you go in or out of
the doorway first. When you feed him, make him sit for a moment after you place
his food on the floor. Several times a week, take his food away from him for a
moment, after he has started to eat, this will not only help to establish your
position of alpha, it is good training
should he put something harmful in his mouth and you need to take the
food away from him without getting bitten. Never allow him to growl at you when
you attempt to take his food. It may be cute as a puppy, but he is dead serious
about it. Also, I suggest that you never play tug of war with your Scottie, or
if you do, stop it at the first sign that he is taking it seriously, then YOU
take the rope and put it up. If you stop the game but allow him to keep the
rope, he will believe that he has won.
If your dog is older and you
realize that you need to reestablish the pecking order, there are still some
things you can do. Being alpha is more of an attitude. A dog can sense this
attitude in other animals and humans. Practice being tough, stand straight and
look your dog solidly in the eye. Speak to him in a deep and firm voice. Never
ask him to obey, tell him. As alpha you are in charge. If you have not already
taught him to sit and stay, that would definitely be in order now. Then any
time he asked to go outside, make him sit for a moment, then as already
mentioned, you go out the door first. Make him sit for his treats and his
dinner. If he hesitates, then don’t feed him, ignore him for awhile, and bring
the dinner out later, again telling him to sit for it. Be firm and confident.
Once your dog has shown a willingness to accept his new place in the pack, it
is time to enter him into a professional training class and then work with him
regularly. A well trained obedient dog is a happy dog and a delight to live
with.
