WHO'S IN CHARGE HERE?
Obedience Training
Once your dog has begun to accept this way of life and his new position in the family, you should take him through an obedience course with a qualified trainer. All dogs need to be trained and Alpha Dogs need training most of all! You don't have to wait until he's through with boot camp to start his training but it's important that he respects at least one member of the family and is willing to take direction from them.
Once class teaches you to train your dog. It teaches you to be Alpha, how to enforce commands and rules, how to get respect and to keep it. All family members who are old enough to understand and control the dog should participate in the class.
Obedience training is a lifelong process. One obedience course does not a trained dog make! Obedience commands need to be practiced and incorporated into your daily life. In a dog park, the Alpha animal uses occasional reminders to reinforce his authority. Certain commands, like DOWN/STAY are especially effective, nonviolent reminders of a dog's place in the family pack order and who's really in charge here.
A well trained obedient dog is a happy dog and a joy to live with. Dogs want to please and need a job to do. Training gives them an opportunity to do both. A well-trained dog has more freedom. He can go more places and do more things with you because he knows how to behave. A well-trained dog that's secure in his place within the family pack is comfortable and confident. He knows what's expected of him. He knows his limits and who his leaders are. He's free from the responsibility of running the household and making decisions. He's free to be your loving companion and not your boss. He's free to be a DOG - what he was born to be and what he always wanted to be in the first place!
* This article was written by Vicki Rodenberg De Gruy, Chairman Of The Chow Chow Club Inc's Welfare Committee. Uploaded with permission from the author, it may be reproduced for non-profit purposes with author's credit given.
