Show your puppy that you are the dominant leader

Dogs are pack animals and many of their behaviors mirror this fact. When you get a new puppy one of the initial and the most imperative things that you can do is to create authority. You are the “pack leader” and you must act correspondingly.

Puppies will spend a great sum of time trying to figure out where they fit into the pecking order. They normally do this by trying to create their own authority. Some breeds are more forceful than others, for case in point, the terrier breeds. Some of the other breeds tend to be more passive naturally.

As soon as your puppy comes home he needs to have his place in the chain of command recognized. He needs to recognize that he must be compliant to you and that you and the other human family members are the prevailing members of the pack. All of the humans inside the home must be above him in the pecking order. This is not a matter of punishment but rather the way it must be in order for him to be contented and to become a responsible doggy citizen.

In order to prove the dominance you must understand a few easy rules. Otherwise your puppy will be getting mixed signals and it will be more arduous for you to train him and he will be bewildered as to what you really want.

[caption id="attachment_1741" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="West Highland white terrier puppies"][/caption]

One of the essential rules you must follow is that the leader always eats first. Do not let you puppy eat before you eat. If you and your family are setting up to eat at about the same time you want to feed your puppy, you should make the puppy wait. Or else you can make plans for your puppy to eat at a complete separate time as you. At the start it may be valuable for your training to make the puppy come to you and wait for his food until you are ready to give it to him. You may want to train him to sit before you put the bowl of foodstuff down.

Grooming your puppy can send strong signals about who is in charge. At the beginning your puppy may whimper and cry when you touch him for basic grooming but you must ignore him and be adamant on finishing. All the time follow through on what you begin because puppies learn very quickly if you really mean something or not.

Most puppies will nip and bite at things when they are very young. You must hinder this behavior instantly and let your puppy know that it is not tolerable with a clear reaction of a “No” and a tap if necessary. Keep in mind that you are the pack leader and the pack leader does not ever get nipped.

The most critical thing with a puppy is to show him that you are the dominant leader of the pack so be careful of games such as “tug’o’war’ where he could demonstrate some dominance. You must commend his good behavior with words and treats and pay no attention to his poor behavior as you embark on obedience training. If you follow these simple tips you will have a well-behaved doggie citizen.

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