The theory sounds simple enough.  However, a MAJORITY of dog owners will unknowingly flub this crucial component and wind up with a dog that is always fighting them to gain the top spot on the pack hierarchy.  It’s by far the most common dog training obstacle that sabotages the entire relationship.

That said, you don’t have to fall victim to the hardships of an unruly dog.  There really is a scientific process, based on rules, that will steer you out of the funk of a rebellious pooch.  This process for establishing alpha status is tied together by a system of controlling your dog’s 3 environmental outlets – food, rest and socialization.

When you restrict or control all of these three facets to your puppy’s life, he’ll soon understand that he is dependent upon you for his freedom.  With this dependency comes a respect and obedience for your command.  The method is simple, effective and creates a fast bond between the both of you.

Let’s talk about the first environmental control, food…

Food

You’re going to control his food by determining when, where and what your dog eats.  This means, feeding at set times in specific amounts.  A key to this discipline is NOT responding to begging.  There is no and I mean NO feeding from the table or giving human food of any kind.

As much as you love your dog, during the initial phases of dog training, you must enforce a separation in the hierarchy of your status.  Don’t level the playing field by making him feel entitled to eat the same food you do.  This specific facet of his life (eating) is directly associated with survival.  This process is going to solidify his correlation between surviving and depending on your care. 

He NEEDS you to eat.   This dependency will enforce his instinct to please you through obedience.  You are the alpha and YOU decide when the pack eats.

And this is just the first factor.  The next two are just as crucial…

Rest

Other than being a necessity for living, rest is also a privilege.  It’s an outlet for relaxation and enjoyment.  Control this variable by deciding WHERE your dog sleeps.  That means no allowing him up on the couch or bed.  Those are YOUR resting areas.  The alpha dog decides where and when the rest of the pack sleeps.  You control the pace of the pack and the level of activity.  Administer this control by setting limits on where your dog may rest.  This principle is something that inspired crate training. If you decide against crate training, that’s fine.  However, you absolutely must create limits and rules for your dog’s resting habits.

Socialization

This is perhaps the BIGGEST variable that you need to control.  It’s also one of the more difficult ones to enforce because it takes a lot of diligence and patience.

When your dog approaches you, you need to force obedience before rewarding him with affection.  That means, when your dog nuzzles his head into your hand or lap, before petting him or speaking in a playful pitchy tone, you should issue commands to exercise his submission.

Having him sit, lay down, give paw, stay or heel are essential tricks that you should constantly train him on.  The true power of these commands isn’t impressing your friends or visitors.  The power lies in exercising your dog’s attention and enforcing your dominance.

When you’re first training your dog, your love should be treated as a reward or it will be taken for granted.  Once you have an obedient puppy and you’re confident that this respect will not go astray, you can dispense your affection without thought.  In the beginning though, you’ll want to follow this guideline for best results.

These are hard and fast rules.  Many people I encounter don’t understand them at first.  However, nearly EVERYONE who enforces them experiences almost immediate results (within a week usually).

Keep at it and continue your training knowing that your dog WANTS to be led.  Following a pack leader is the most natural instinct your dog has.  Facilitate this need by becoming the alpha dog and take the anxiety out of his actions.

Really, this is just one piece to the pie.  There are so many specific tactics used to correct bad dog behavior problems along with shaping the relationship you desire.  For an amazing, FREE Dog Training Video, check out www.Dog-Training-Works.com right now and watch my step by step video, Dog Training Basics.  There you’ll learn the fundamental rules for realizing the kind of dog obedience that most people only dream of.  Check it out now and start training the RIGHT way!

Potty Training Dogs Part 1 – The Importance Of A Den

In order to accelerate potty training dogs you can create an isolated living area for your furry friend. Dogs are naturally den animals and they’re not going to soil it because it plays an important role in their everyday life (they use it to get some sleep and hide from all the fuss around them). This can be a quick technique to force your furry friend to learn to control his physiological mechanisms.

Potty Training Dogs Part 2 – Show Him The Toilet

At the beginning of toilet training you must bring your puppy to one chosen earlier place on a regular basis and use only one command (‘outside’ or ‘go potty’) to provoke the elimination procedure. This way he’ll get accustomed to relieving himself outdoors and will link this procedure with one particular term.

Potty Training Dogs Part 3 – Watch The Clock

When potty training dogs you should take into consideration the fact that dogs are able to urinate or defecate soon after they have finished ingesting (first twenty minutes. You can use this information to your advantage and plan the meals regularly so that you know when to take your dog out. By doing this you will save yourself a lot of time and nerves on tidying the mess that your four-legged friend left on the carpet.

Potty Training Dogs Part 4 – Quit Punishing Your dog!

The easiest way to slow down toilet training canines is to scream or hit them as a form of punishment. Not only will your canine friend become confused in regards to what you expect him to do but also stressed about the whole situation. Instead, remain calm and consistent with applying the potty training hints laid out above and organize plenty of cleaning liquids as your dog will have to eliminate on the carpet a few times first in order to understand that it is not exactly what you want him to do. Always reward your dog if he does his job within the preferred spot in order to reinforce the good behavior.

Leash training puppies begin with getting your puppy familiar with a collar. A nice leather collar is what I use on all my dogs, even with young puppies I am training. Put the collar on your puppy when you are playing. This will be a distraction from the collar but they will still try to scratch at it and try to remove it. Why they are doing this do not remove it, do not take it off. If you do not plan on leaving it on them , then remove it after they have forgotten about it. Then you can remove.

Now that your puppy is happy with their new collar on, it is time to get the leash. The same thing here, you just want to get them comfortable with the leash. You want to show them that the leash is nothing to be afraid of. With a young small puppy a light weight leash will do. All you want to do is clip the leash to the collar and let them check it out and run around the house with it. They will soon forget about it.Now that your puppy has forgotten about the leash, it is time to pick up the other end. Start to walk around the house, your puppy will probably follow you around everywhere with out a problem. If he or she is walking along on a loose leash give them plenty of praise, petting and even some treats. If your puppy starts to walk away from your side as your walking just stop. Do not yank them back to you, just call them back to you and praise them when they come back.

Never keep walking when your puppy is pulling on the leash, this will only promote bad behavior on the leash. Your puppy needs to learn that when they pull on the leash that they get no where. The same thing applies if your puppy sits down why your walking. Do not yank the leash, just stop and call them and praise them when they come to you. Then begin your walk like nothing had happen.