Dog Training ? Taking Control

Have you ever watched really good dog trainers in action? They all have different dog training styles and different dog training techniques, but they all have at least ONE thing in common. That ONE thing is the Alpha Dog attitude. They all stand tall. They all speak in a tone of voice that says, "I am in charge." They ORDER dogs to do things, and they do NOT request the dog's compliance. Alpha is an attitude. All dog trainers know this, and if you are ever going to train your dog, you MUST adopt and perfect the alpha attitude.

It is much simpler to convince a newly adopted puppy that you are the alpha right from day one than it is to UN-convince a dog that has assumed the alpha dog role and needs to be retrained.

Establishing your alpha status with a new puppy is really rather simple. The position of lying on the back with all four paws in the air is the ultimate passive-submissive posture. Watch a mother dog with her pups. When a pup misbehaves or doesn't obey immediately, the mother dog rolls the pup over onto its back and stands over it.

When your new puppy doesn't comply with a command, simply roll him over on his back and hold him there for a minute. You do not have to hit him or shout at him. Body language is what dogs understand best. When you roll him onto his back, you are demonstrating your dominance. You are establishing yourself as the alpha in what the puppy considers his pack ? the family.

When two strange dogs meet, you will often see the lying-on-the-back posture, but you might also see other submissive postures that indicate that one dog is recognizing the other dog as the alpha dog.

Demoting a dog that has assumed the alpha dog position in a family is much harder to achieve. That doesn't mean that it cannot be achieved, but it will likely require professional assistance and attitude adjustments from every member of the family.

Tags: train your dog, dog care, train your puppy, dog training, k 9 training, obedience training for dogs